BX9220  =W5  1911 

Wmte,  Hemy  Alexander,  1861-1926. 

Southern  Presbyterian  leaders. 


SOUTHERN   PRESBYTERIAN 
LEADERS 


m 


WILLIAM   GRAHAM 


Frontispiece 


SOUTHERN 

PRESBYTERIAN 

LEADERS 


HENRY  ALEXANDER  WHITE,  a.m.,  PH.D.,  d.d.,  ll.d. 

Professor   of   New    Testament   Literature   in   Columbia  Theological 
Seminary ;  Author  of  "Robert  E.  Lee  and  the  Southern  Confed- 
eracy," "Life  of  Stonewall  Jackson,"  "History  of  the  United 
States  for  Schools,"  "Our  Country:    A  Short   History  of 
the  United  States,"  "Beginner's  History  of  the  United 
States,"  "The   Making  of   South  Carolina,"   "The 
Pentateuch  Considered  in  the  Light  of  the 
Ancient  Monuments,"  etc. 


WITH  PORTRAIT  ILLUSTRATIONS 


NEW  YORK 

THE  NEALE  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

1911 


Copyright,  1911,  by 
The  Neale  Publishing  Company 


THIS  Volume  is  Dedicated  to  my 
Wife's  Father,  Judge  Beverley 
Randolph  Wellford,  Jr.,  and  to  Her 
Uncle,  Charles  Edward  Wellford, 
Esq.,  the  One  a  Ruling  Elder  and  the 
Other  a  Deacon  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church,  Richmond,  Virginia, 
Worthy  Types  of  that  Efficiency  in 
Service,  that  Nobility  of  Character 

AND   THAT   PuRITY  IN  ThOUGHT  AND  PUR- 
POSE    THAT     FROM     THE     BEGINNING    HaVE 

Marked    the    Office-bearers    in    our 
Southern  Presbyterian  Church. 


CONTENTS 


Preface. 


PART    I 

SouTHEBN  Presbyterian  Leaders  of  the  Colonial  Period 

1683-1774 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.     Francis  Makeniie  Organizes  the  First  Ameri- 
can Presbytery 9 

II.     Early  Scots  and  Huguenots  in  the  Carolinas 

and   Virginia 22 

III.  The  Coming  of  the  Scots  to  the  American  Col- 

onies      28 

IV.  John  Craig,  First  Pastor  in  the  Western  Part 

of   Virginia 32 

V.     Old    Side   and  New   Side   Parties   Among   the 

Presbyterians 36 

VI.     John  Blair  and  John  Brown  in  the  Southern 

Part  of  the  Valley  of  Virginia 88 

VII.  William  Robinson  and  John  Roan  in  the  Pied- 
mont Section  of  Virginia 41 

VIII.     Samuel   Davies   Founds  the   Hanover   Presby- 
tery      44 

IX.     David  Rice  and  James  Waddell  in  the  North- 
ern and  Western  Parts  of  Virginia 58 

X.     Hugh  McAden's  Journey  Through  Virginia  and 

the    Carolinas 65 

XI.     Alexander  Craighead  and  the  Seven  Churches 

of  Mecklenburg  in  North  Carolina 73 

XII.  John  Witherspoon.  of  the  Lower  Santee  River, 
and  James  Campbell,  of  the  Upper  Cape 
Fear   River 79 

XIII.  Archibald  Simpson,  Evangelist  in  the  Region 

Between  Charles  Town  and  Savannah 86 

XIV.  William  Richardson  of  the  Waxhaws  in  South 

Carolina 90 

XV.     Henry    Patillo   and   David   Caldwell    Organize 

the  Presbytery  of  Orange  in  the  Carolinas.  .     95 
XVI.     Charles  Cummings   and   Samuel  Doak  on   the 

Holston    River 100 


2 


Contents 


PART   II 

Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders  During  the 

American  Revolution 

1774-17S9 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XVII.     Tlie  Hanover   Presbytery   Leads  the  Fight  in 

Behalf  of  Freedom  in  Religion 104 

XVIII.     Presbyterian  Riflemen  Win  the  Battle  of  Point 

Pleasant    (1774) 113 

XIX.     The  Mountain  Men  of  Virginia  and  North  Caro- 
lina Lead  the  Way  to  Independence 116 

XX.     William  Graham,  Founder  of  the  Liberty  Hall 

Academy  in  Virginia 124 

XXI.     Samuel  Stanhope  Smith,  John  Blair  Smith  and 

Hampden  Sidney  College 140 

XXII.     The  Winning  of  the  Battle  at  King's  Mountain.  144 
XXIII.     Presbyterian    Riflemen,    Led   by   Francis    Ma- 
rion, Assail  the  British  in  the  Eastern  Parts 

of  South  Carolina 154 

XXIV.     The  Cowpens  and  Guilford  Courthouse 158 

XXV.     The  Winning  of  the  Fight  for  Religious  Free- 
dom    165 

XXVI.     Revivals  of  Religion  that  Followed  the  War  of 

the    Revolution 171 


PART  III 
Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 
1789-1861 
chapter  page 
XXVII.     Archibald  Alexander,   President  of  Hampden- 
Sidney  College,  and  First  Teacher  of  The- 
ology in  Princeton  Seminary 181 

XXVIII.     Moses    Hoge,    President    of    the    College    and 
Teacher  of  Theology  at  Hampden-Sidney,  in 

Virginia 193 

XXIX.     Moses  Waddell  and  the  Willington  Academy  in 

South    Carolina 199 

XXX.     Joseph  Caldwell  and  the  University  of  North 

Carolina 203 

XXXI.     Presbyterians   in   Kentucky   and   the   Revival 

of  1800 206 

XXXII.     John  Holt  Rice  and  the  Organization  of  Union 

Theological  Seminary  in  Virginia 212 


Contents  S 

CHAPTEB  PAGE 

XXXIII.     George  Addison  Baxter  Extends  the  Work  of 
AVashington  College  Among  the  People  of  the 

South  and  Southwest 221 

XXXVI.     A  Journey  Among  the  Churches  of  the  Synod 

of  Virginia  in  the  Year  1800 232 

XXXV.     A  Journey  Among  the  Churches  of  the  Caro- 
linas  and  Georgia  and  the  Southwest  in  the 

Year    1800 239 

XXXVI.     Thomas  Goulding,  George  Howe  and  Aaron  W. 
Leland,   Founders   of  Columbia   Theological 

Seminary 253 

XXXVII.     John  Forrest  and  Thomas  Smyth,  Pastors  in 

Charleston,  South  Carolina 261 

XXXVIII.     Robert  Plall   Morrison  Founds   Davidson  Col- 
lege   267 

XXXIX.     Daniel    Baker,    Evangelist   of   the   South   and 

Southwest 273 

XL.     John  McElhenny,  the  Apostle  of  Western  Vir- 
ginia   280 

XLI.     William  Swan  Plumer,  Preacher  and  Teacher 

of  the  Word 286 

XLII.     Charles    Colcock    Jones,    John    B.    Adger    and 

John  L.  Girardeau 293 

XLIII.     James    Henley    Thornwell    as    Preacher    and 

Teacher 303 


PART   IV 

Southern  Pbesbytebian  Lkadebs  Since  1861 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XLIV.     James  H.  Thornwell  Sets  Forth  the  Principles 

of  the  Southern  Presbyterians 322 

XLV.     A  Journey  Among  the  Southern  Churches  Dur- 
ing the   War   Between   the   North  and   the 

South 330 

XLVI.     A  Journey  Among  the  Churches  of  Kentucky 

and    Missouri 348 

XLVII.     Benjamin  Morgan  Palmer 359 

XLVIII.     Robert  Lewis  Dabney 382 

XLIX.     John  Leighton  Wilson 391 

L.     Jacob  Henry  Smith 409 

LI.     Stuart    Robinson 414 

LII.     John   Newton   Waddel 421 


4  Contents 

CHAPTEB  PAGE 

LIII.     Moses  Drury  Hoge 426 

LIV.     Stonewall  Jackson,  D.  H.  Hill  and  Thomas  R. 
R.    Cobb    as    Representatives    of    Southern 

Presbyterian  Elders  and  Deacons 446 

LV.     Some  Presbyterian  Traders  of  Our  Own  Time.  454 

Pkincipal  Sources 

Biographies 462 

Church    Histories 463 

Collected   Works 464 

General  Histories 465 

Historical    Collections 465 

Local   Histories 465 

Memoirs 466 

Newspapers 466 

Periodicals 467 

Records  of  Church  Courts 467 

Minutes 467 

Special   Accounts 467 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

William  Graham Frontispiece 

FACING    PAGE 

Francis  Makemie 9 

Samuel  Davies 44 

James  Waddell 58 

Archibald  Alexander 181 

John  Holt  Rice 212 

George  Addison  Baxter 221 

George  Howe 253 

Robert  Hall  Morrison 267 

Daniel  Baker 273 

William  Swan  Pliimer 286 

James  Henley  Thornwell 308 

Benjamin  Morgan  Palmer 359 

Robert  Lewis  Uabney 382 

John  Leighton  Wilson 394 

Jacob  Henry  Smith 409 

Stuart  Robinson 414 

Moses  Drury  Hoge 426 

Stonewall  Jackson 446 


PREFACE 

This  series  of  biographical  sketches  is  based  upon 
original  sources  as  far  as  these  are  now  available.  Among 
such  sources  are  included  the  minutes  and  other  records 
of  presbyteries,  synods  and  assemblies,  autobiographi- 
cal statements  and  personal  letters  incorporated  in  some 
of  the  formal  biographies.  A  number  of  family  records 
in  addition  to  those  mentioned  in  the  bibliography  have 
been  of  material  advantage  in  the  writing  of  this  volume. 

Among  the  secondary  sources,  there  are  many  excel- 
lent biographies  and  memoirs,  named  in  the  list  given 
on  pages  463-469.  These  have  been  of  much  service  in  the 
preparation  of  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders. 

I  desire  to  make  special  acknowledgment  of  indebted- 
ness to  the  Sketches  of  North  Carolina  and  the  Sketches 
of  Virginia  by  Dr.  William  Henry  Foote,  and  the  His- 
tory of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  South  Carolina  by 
Dr.  George  Howe. 

It  will  be  understood,  of  course,  that  the  outlines  of 
personal  history  contained  in  this  volume  are  presented 
as  sketches,  and  not  as  biographies  in  the  full  sense  of 
that  term.  It  is  the  hope  of  the  writer,  however,  that 
taken  together  the}'  will  constitute  in  some  measure  a 
continuous  narrative  dealing  with  the  work  and  the  char- 
acter of  the  Presbyterian  people  of  our  Southern  Com- 
monwealths. 

Henry  Alexander  White. 
Columbia,  S.  C. 

April  15,  1911 


FRANCIS  MAKEMIE 


Facias   page 


SOUTHERN    PRESBYTERIAN    LEADERS 

Part   I. — Presbyteuian   Leaders   of   the   Colonial 
Period.     1683-1774. 

CHAPTER  I. 

FRANCIS    MAKEMIE    ORGANIZES   THE    FIRST    AMERICAN 
PRESBYTERY. 

Francis  Makemie  was  a  Scot,  born  about  the  j^ear 
1658,  near  the  town  of  Rathmelton,  or  Ramelton, 
province  of  Ulster,  north  Ireland.  Ramelton  stands  on 
the  western  shore  of  a  long  inlet,  or  lake,  called  Lough 
Swilly,  whose  waters  are  driven  by  the  fierce  winds  of 
the  North  Atlantic  in  a  winding  course  among  the 
hills  of  Donegal.  The  records  of  the  town  tell  us  that 
in  the  early  years  of  the  seventeenth  century  a  company 
of  farmers  and  craftsmen  from  the  lowlands  of  Scot- 
land made  their  way  across  the  narrow  sea  and  built 
homes  in  this  part  of  Ireland.  Among  these  settlers, 
most  probably,  came  the  father  and  mother  of  Makemie. 
The  traveller  today  finds  no  trace  left  of  the  house  in 
which  the  child  Francis  was  born.  One  may  stand, 
however,  on  the  site  of  the  old  mill  around  which,  as  a 
boy,  tradition  says,  he  played  games  with  his  comrades. 
The  old  ferry-boat  still  moves  back  and  forth  across 
the  waters  from  which  young  Francis  no  doubt  often 
caught  the  salmon.  The  church  was  there  with  the 
Scotch  form  of  worship ;  likewise  the  rude  schoolhouse 
with  naught  but  the  earth  as  a  floor.  We  may  suppose 
that  Francis  came  in  the  early  morning  to  this  place  of 
study,  bearing  under  one  arm  the  peats   for  the  fire, 

9 


10  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

and  under  the  other  a  Bible,  a  Virgil  and  a  Homer. 
When  the  Bible  verses  had  been  repeated,  and  the  lines 
of  the  Latin  and  Greek  bards  had  been  turned  into 
good  English  words,  then  the  boy  ran  to  the  top  of  a 
swelling  knoll  to  watch  the  great  waves  on  Lough 
Swillj  or  to  look  eastward  across  its  waters  toward 
the  blue,  dreamy  hills  that  stand  on  guard  around 
Londonderry. 

Makemie's  schoolmaster  was  a  minister  who  per- 
suaded his  pupil  to  become  both  student  and  Christian. 
A  few  years  later  Makemie  told  the  presbytery  about 
"a  work  of  grace  and  conversion  wrought  in  my  heart 
at  fifteen  years  of  age,  by  and  from  the  pains  of  a 
godly  schoolmaster,  who  used  no  small  diligence  in  gain- 
ing tender  souls  to  God's  service  and  fear." 

Makemie's  father  must  have  been  a  man  of  sub- 
stance and  of  wisdom  for  he  gave  the  son  a  complete 
education.  In  his  later  years,  the  son  spoke  of  his 
mother  as  kneeling  in  prayer  for  her  child.  Beyond 
these  meagre  details  we  know  nothing  about  the  early 
days  of  Makemie  at  Ramelton. 

In  February,  1676,  this  young  man  went  across  the 
channel  to  Scotland  and  began  a  course  of  study  as  a 
member  of  the  third  class  in  the  University  of  Glasgow. 
Today,  one  may  see  his  name  written  in  the  old  record- 
book  of  the  University  in  the  Latin  form  as  follows : 
"Franciscus    Makemius Scoto-Hibernus." 

This  means  Francis  Makemie,  a  Scot  of  Ireland. 
In  our  day,  we  write  the  two  Latin  words  Scoto-Hiber- 
nus in  English  form  thus,  Scotch-Irishman.  Through 
his  father,  Francis  belonged  in  every  respect  to  the 
people  of  Scotland,  but  his  dwelling  place  was  Ireland. 

Three  years,  perhaps,  were  spent  by  the  young  Scot 
at  the  University  of  Glasgow.  He  must  have  studied 
Hebrew  there,  as  well  as  Latin  and  Greek.  In  May, 
1680,  he  was  again  in  Ireland,  engaged  in  the  study 
of  "divinity"  under  the  control  of  the  Presbytery  of 


Francis  Makemie  11 

Laggan.  This  body  held  jurisdiction  over  the  entire 
region  of  Londonderry,  Donegal  and  Tyrone.  Less 
than  two  years  before,  the  Presbyterians  of  Scotland 
had  made  their  brave  fight  against  the  royalist  forces 
at  Bothwell  Bridge  (1679)  and  now  the  men  of  Ulster 
were  ready  for  the  struggle  in  Ireland.  The  Presby- 
tery of  Laggan  was  made  up  of  the  men  who  stood  in 
the  breach  and  saved  their  country  at  Enniskillen  and 
at  Londonderry,  in  1689.  Even  while  Makemie  was 
"giving  in  his  pieces  of  trial,"  some  of  the  ministers  of 
the  Presbytery  were  lying  in  prison  because  they 
would  not  take  the  oath  acknowledging  the  king's  su- 
premacy in  matters  of  faith  and  worship.  Among  these 
was  Thomas  Drummond,  Makemie's  pastor  at  Ramel- 
ton,  and  John  Traill,  the  Hebrew  scholar;  also  Adam 
White  and  William  White.  Time  and  again  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Laggan  called  before  them  the  young  gradu- 
ate of  Glasgow  and  tested  his  knowledge.  On  April  20, 
1681,  Makemie  delivered  a  "homily"  upon  I.  Tim.  1:  5, 
and  was  approved;  May  25,  1681,  he  delivered  his  "pri- 
vate homily"  on  Matt.  xi. :  28 ;  this  also,  was  approved. 
Afterwards  the  presbytery  passed  upon  his  exegesis  of 
Scripture  passages  in  Hebrew  and  Greek  and  in  the  au- 
tumn of  1681  he  was  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel. 

At  that  critical  hour,  when  five  other  ministers  of 
the  Presbytery  were  sent  to  join  those  already  in  prison, 
letters  asking  help  came  from  the  island  of  Barbadoes 
in  the  AVest  Indies  and  from  Colonel  William  Stevens, 
of  Maryland.  The  latter  poured  out  the  prayers  of  the 
Presbyterians  in  IMaryland  and  Virginia  for  help  in  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel.  After  his  release  from  im- 
prisonment, William  Traill,  moderator  of  the  presby- 
tery, crossed  the  seas,  in  1682,  and  spent  a  number  of 
years  in  Maryland.  In  1683,  the  presbytery  ordained 
Makemie;  that  is,  by  the  laying  on  of  hands  and  with 
pra^^er,  they  set  him  apart  as  an  evangelist  and  bade  him 
go  to  the  aid  of  his  brethren  beyond  the  Atlantic.     He 


12  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

was  thus  the  first  minister  of  the  Presbyterian  faith  who 
was  appointed  in  regular  form  as  a  preacher  for  the  peo- 
ple of  the  American  colonies. 

The  colony  on  the  James  River,  in  Virginia,  was 
established  in  1607,  by  the  Virginia  Company  of  Lon- 
don. This  company  was  to  a  great  extent  under  the 
control  of  English  Puritans  who  remained  within  the 
Established  Church  and  were  seeking  to  reform  it  from 
within.  Some  of  the  colonists  sent  to  Virginia  by  the 
company  were  Puritans.  Among  these  v/as  the  Rev. 
Alexander  Whitaker,  the  "Apostle  of  Virginia,"  son 
of  Dr.  William  Whitaker,  Puritan  Professor  of  Divin- 
ity at  Cambridge,  and  cousin  of  Dr.  William  Gouge, 
member  of  the  Westminster  Assembly  of  divines. 
Whitaker  organized  a  congregational  presbytery  in 
the  colony  as  may  be  seen  from  a  letter  written  by  him 
in  June,  1614:  "Every  Sabbath  day  we  preach  in  the 
forenoon,  and  catechize  in  the  afternoon.  Every  Sat- 
urday, at  night,  I  exercise  in  Sir  Thomas  Dale's  house. 
Our  church  affairs  be  consulted  on  by  the  minister  and 
four  of  the  most  religious  men.  Once  every  month 
we  have  communion,  and  once  a  year  a  solemn  fast." 

In  1617  Whitaker  was  drowned  in  James  River  and 
was  succeeded  by  George  Keith,  who  was  also  a  Puri- 
tan. Afterwards,  so  many  Puritans  came  that  in  1638 
there  were  as  many  as  one  thousand  of  them  in  the  colony 
of  Virginia,  about  seven  per  cent,  of  the  entire  popula- 
tion. Their  chief  settlements  were  south  of  James  River, 
in  the  counties  known  as  Isle  of  Wight  and  Nansemond. 
Governor  Berkeley  insisted,  however,  that  they  must 
worship  in  accordance  with  the  forms  of  the  Established 
Church.  In  1649,  therefore,  about  1,000  Puritans  re- 
moved from  Virginia  into  Maryland  and  made  their 
homes  thenceforth  near  the  mouth  of  the  Severn  River, 
not  far  from  the  present  city  of  Annapolis. 

Several  years  before  this  migration  of  Puritans  from 
Virginia  into  Maryland,  the  Dutch  had  established  con- 


Francis  MaJcemie  13 

grcgations  of  the  Reformed  type  in  the  province  now 
known  as  New  York.  These  Dutch  Reformed  churches 
Avere  in  every  essential  respect  Presbyterian.  Man}^ 
of  the  Puritan  congregations  of  New  Kngland  were  then 
maintaining  the  Presbyterian  form  of  church  govern- 
ment. Some  of  these  drifted  southward  to  Long  Island, 
under  the  leadership  of  Richard  Denton,  and  in  1644 
founded  a  Presbyterian  church  at  a  point  on  that  island 
called  Hempstead.  Afterwards,  however,  this  church, 
sometimes  called  the  oldest  Presbyterian  church  in 
America,  passed  under  the  control  of  its  Congrega- 
tional members.  Another  Presbyterian  church  founded 
at  Jamaica,  Long  Island,  in  1656,  lived  apart  to  itself 
as  an  Independent  congregation  until  after  the  organi- 
zation of  Makemie's  presbytery. 

Francis  Doughty,  of  Gloucester,  England,  came  first 
to  Massachusetts  and  then  became  the  first  Presbyte- 
rian minister  in  New  York  City  (1643-1648).  He 
came  thence  to  Maryland  where  he  preached  to  the 
Puritans  until  his  death.  Doughty's  work  in  Mary- 
land was  carried  forward  by  Matthew  Hill,  a  Presby- 
terian minister  from  York,  England,  but  neither  one 
of  these  evangelists  organized  a  church.  Soon  after 
the  year  1670  a  large  number  of  Scots  and  Scotch- 
Irish  came  to  Barbadoes,  Maryland  and  Virginia.  In 
response  to  the  appeal  made  by  these  people,  his  coun- 
trymen, Makemie  set  forth  from  Ireland  in  1683.  His 
journey  across  the  ocean  was  broken  by  a  visit  to  Bar- 
badoes. The  Scots  who  dwelt  there  and  also  some  of 
the  English  settlers  were  Presbyterians,  and  to  them 
Makemie  first  delivered  his  message. 

He  then  came  to  the  eastern  shore  of  Maryland  and 
was  there  received  as  minister  by  the  people  of  Snow 
Hill,  a  town  located  in  the  present  county  of  Worcester, 
IVIaryland.  Makemie  organized  a  church  at  Snow  Hill 
in  that  same  year,  1683-84,  or  not  long  afterwards. 
Congregations  were  brought  together  also  at  Salisbury, 


14  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

Rehoboth  and  other  places  in  Maryland.  About  the 
same  time  Makemie's  eager  spirit  led  him  across  the 
Virginia  line.  He  organized  churches  at  Pocomoke 
and  at  Onancock,  in  the  county  of  Accomac,  and  on 
the  Elizabeth  River  near  the  present  city  of  Norfolk,  in 
Virginia.  These  congregations  in  Maryland  and  Vir- 
ginia were  the  mother  churches  of  the  Presbyterian  body 
in  America. 

Francis  Makemie  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Naomi,  eldest  daughter  of  W^illiam  Anderson,  a  mer- 
chant of  Accomac  County,  Virginia.  Makemie  then 
made  his  home  near  Onancock,  the  county  seat  of  Acco- 
mac, and  became  himself  a  merchant.  Most  probably 
he  preached  every  Sunday  and  supported  his  family 
by  selling  merchandise  during  the  week.  Some  of  his 
customers  did  not  pay  for  what  they  bought.  In  1690 
Makemie  entered  suit  in  the  county  court  of  Accomac  to 
force  a  customer  to  pay  for  molasses  that  had  been  sold 
to  him.  Many  other  suits  were  entered  in  like  manner 
by  Makemie  to  force  customers  to  pay  their  debts. 

During  all  of  these  years,  Makemie's  chief  work 
was  the  preaching  of  the  gospel.  He  went  on  board 
a  little  vessel  and  tried  to  sail  to  South  Carolina  in 
order  that  he  might  preach  to  the  people  of  that 
province.  Strong  winds  drove  the  vessel  back  to  Vir- 
ginia, however,  and  our  evangelist  spent  most  of  his  years 
of  labor  in  that  colony.  A  part  of  his  work  there  was 
the  writing  of  a  catechism  for  the  instruction  of  the 
members  of  his  churches. 

In  1698,  William  Anderson  died  and  left  by  will  to 
Makemie  and  his  wife,  Naomi,  one  thousand  acres  of 
land  near  Onancock,  three  town  lots  in  Onancock,  nine 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  at  Pocomoke,  four  negro  slaves 
and  a  small  boat  called  a  sloop. 

How  did  Makemie  use  the  property  thus  acquired? 
The  sloop,  we  may  be  sure,  carried  him  along  the  sea- 
shore and  up  the  rivers  to  the  places  where  he  was  in 


Francis  Makemie  15 

tlic  habit  of  preaching.  On  October  15,  1699,  the  year 
after  William  Anderson's  death,  Makemie  presented 
himself  in  the  county  court  of  Accomac  and  asked  the 
judges  of  the  court  to  set  apart  his  dwelling-house  at 
Onancock  and  his  house  at  Pocomoke  as  places  where  he 
might  lawfully  call  the  people  together  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  them. 

This  was  done  in  accordance  with  the  law  that  pre- 
vailed in  Virginia  at  that  time.  In  that  colony  and  in 
some  of  the  other  colonies,  the  Episcopal  Church,  with 
its  ministers,  was  then  supported  by  a  tax  called  the 
tithe.  The  colonists  were  required  by  law  to  attend 
the  services  of  this  church  every  Sunday.  If  any 
one  refused  to  attend,  he  was  punished.  A  special 
law  called  the  Toleration  Act  provided,  however,  that 
those  Christians,  who  were  called  dissenters,  because 
they  were  not  willing  to  worship  according  to  the  forms 
used  in  the  Episcopal  Church,  might  worship  God  in 
their  own  way.  Under  this  Toleration  Act,  Makemie 
declared  in  the  court  room  of  the  county  of  Accomac 
that  he  was  a  "loyal  subject  of  the  king  and  queen  of 
England  and  that  he  accepted  certain  specified  articles 
of  religious  belief  set  forth  by  the  Church  of  England. 
The  clerk  of  the  court  then  made  an  entry  in  his  record- 
book,  stating  that  Makemie's  two  dwelling-houses  were 
registered  as  regular  houses  of  public  worship,  and  that 
Makemie  himself  had  authority  to  preach  there. 

In  the  year  1704  Makemie  sailed  back  across  the  At- 
lantic to  tell  his  brethren  in  Ireland  and  Scotland  about 
his  work  and  to  ask  for  help.  He  went  to  London, 
also,  and  told  the  Presbyterians  of  that  city  about  the 
churches  in  Maryland  and  Virginia.  When  he  returned 
to  the  colonies,  two  ministers  came  with  him.  One  of 
these  was  John  Hampton,  of  Ulster,  a  member  of 
Makemie's  own  presbytery  of  Laggan.  The  other 
was  George  McNish,  a  Scot.  The  Presbyterians  of 
London  furnished  money  to  pay  the  expenses  of  these 


16  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

two  preachers  for  two  years.  They  began  at  once  to 
labor  among  the  churches  founded  by  Makemie  in  Mary- 
land. 

One  day,  early  in  the  year  1706,  seven  Presbyterian 
ministers  met  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  The  leading 
man  among  them  Avas  Francis  Makemie,  who  repre- 
sented the  churches  which  he  had  founded  in  Virginia. 
John  Hampton,  George  McNish  and  Nathaniel  Taylor 
represented  the  Presbyterian  churches  established  in 
Maryland.  Samuel  Davis  and  John  Wilson  were  then 
preaching  in  Delaware  and  Jedediah  Andrews  was  pas- 
tor in  Philadelphia.  Wilson  and  Taylor  were  Scots 
from  Scotland  and  Davis  was  a  Scot  from  Ireland. 
Andrews  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts.  He  received 
his  education  at  Harvard  College  and  began  to  preach 
at  Philadelphia  in  1698.  The  record-book,  in  which 
was  written  an  account  of  the  meeting  of  these  seven 
men  of  God,  has  been  handed  down  to  us.  The  first 
leaf  of  this  book,  however,  has  been  torn  off  and  lost. 
We  do  not  know,  therefore,  the  exact  day  and  the  hour 
when  they  came  together.  We  may  believe  that  the 
Word  of  God  was  opened  and  read,  and  that  prayer  was 
made.  Then  the  seven  solemnly  constituted  themselves 
as  a  presbytery,  the  first  classical  presbytery  organized 
in  America.  The  establishment  of  this  presbytery  was 
almost  entirely  the  work  of  Francis  Makemie. 

In  January,  1707,  Francis  Makemie  and  John 
Hampton  sailed  northward  from  Virginia  along  the 
Atlantic  Coast  to  preach  the  gospel  in  New  England. 
When  he  reached  New  York  some  of  the  people  of 
that  town  asked  the  governor  to  allow  him  to  conduct 
religious  worship  in  the  Dutch  Church.  The  governor 
refused  to  give  permission,  and  Makemie  preached, 
therefore,  to  a  small  congregation  in  a  private  dwelling- 
house.  The  same  day  Hampton  preached  in  a  church 
on  Long  Island. 

Lord  Cornbury,  royal  governor  of  New  York,  called 


Francis  Makemie  17 

Makemie  and  Hampton  before  him  and  said,  "How  dare 
you  to  take  it  upon  you  to  preach  in  my  government 
without  my  hcense?" 

Makemie  rephed,  "We  liave  liberty  from  an  act  of 
Parliament  made  in  the  first  year  of  the  reign  of  King 
William  and  Queen  Mary  [1689],  which  gave  us  liberty, 
with  which  law  we  have  complied."  Makemie  then  pro- 
duced certificates  written  out  by  the  courts  in  Barba- 
does,  Virginia  and  Maryland,  showing  that  he  had 
obeyed  all  the  requirements  of  the  English  law. 

"These  certificates  do  not  extend  to  New  York,"  said 
Cornbury. 

"I  have  complied  with  the  English  law,"  replied 
Makemie,  "and  that  same  law  extends  to  all  of  the 
dominions  of  the  English  sovereign."  At  the  same  time, 
Makemie  and  Hampton  told  the  governor  that  they 
were  ready  to  appear  before  the  New  York  judges 
and  take  out  certificates  there  if  it  was  considered 
necessary. 

"You  shall  not  spread  your  pernicious  doctrines 
here,"  commanded  the  governor. 

"As  to  our  doctrines,  my  Lord,  we  have  our  Confes- 
sion of  Faith,  which  is  known  to  the  Christian  world, 
and  I  challenge  all  the  clergy  of  [New]  York  to  show 
us  any  false  or  pernicious  doctrines  therein." 

"You  must  give  bond  and  security  for  your  good 
behavior,  and  also  bond  and  security  to  preach  no  more 
in  my  government,"  threatened  Cornbury. 

"Endeavoring  always  so  to  live  as  to  'keep  a  con- 
science void  of  offence  towards  God  and  man,'  yet  if 
your  lordship  requires  it,  we  would  give  security  for 
our  behavior ;  but  to  give  bond  and  security  to  preach 
no  more  in  your  exellency's  government,  if  invited 
and  desired  by  any  people,  we  neither  can  nor  dare 
do."     These  were  Makemie's  bold  words  in  reply. 

"Then  you  must  go  to  jail,"  said  the  governor. 

"We   are   neither    ashamed   nor   afraid   of   what   we 


18  Southern  Preshyterian  Leaders 

have  done,  and  we  have  complied  and  are  ready  still 
to  comply  with  the  Act  of  Parliament  «vhich  we  hope 
m\\  protect  us  at  last." 

For  six  weeks  and  four  days  Makemie  and  Hamp- 
ton were  kept  in  prison.  Then  the  charge  against 
Hampton  was  dropped  and  his  comrade  was  allowed  to 
go  forth  for  a  time  on  bail.  He  returned  to  Virginia 
and  Cornbury  supposed  that  the  minister  would  not 
dare  to  go  again  to  New  York  to  face  a  trial.  Make- 
mie went,  however,  and  on  June  6,  1707,  he  stood  up 
before  a  jury  in  the  courtroom  in  New  York  to  be  tried 
for  the  crime  of  preaching  a  sermon  in  that  town  in 
the  previous  January ! 

Witnesses  were  brought  in  to  prove  the  fact  that 
he  had  preached.  He  waved  these  men  aside  with 
the  declaration,  "1  own  the  matter  of  fact  as  to 
preaching.  *  *  *  j  Jiave  done  nothing  therein  of 
which  I  am  ashamed  or  afraid."  Three  friends  spoke 
for  Makemie  and  then  he  stood  up  to  plead  his  own 
case  before  the  jury.  He  showed  that  he  had  full  and 
clear  knowledge  of  every  law  of  England  and  every 
law  adopted  in  any  of  the  colonies,  in  so  far  as  they 
were  concerned  with  his  case.  The  lawyers  and  the 
judges  were  filled  with  astonishment  that  Makemie  had 
such  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  laws  and  that  he 
made  so  strong  a  plea  for  justice  to  himself  and  other 
ministers.  The  jury  at  once  brought  in  their  verdict 
that  the  preacher  had  not  broken  any  law  and  that  he 
should  be  set  free.  The  governor  and  the  judges  were 
so  unjust,  however,  that  they  made  him  pay  about 
four  hundred  dollars  to  meet  the  expense  of  the  trial. 

Makemie  then  entered  the  Huguenot  Church  in  New 
York  and  preached.  His  sermon  was  printed  and 
scattered  broadcast.  Cornbury  again  sought  to  lay 
hands  on  the  bold  minister,  but  the  latter  escaped  and 
wrote  back  to  the  governor  that  he  was  under  solemn  obli- 
gations "both  to  God  and  the  souls  of  men  to  embrace 


Francis  Makemie  19 

all  opportunities  for  exercising  those  ministerial  gifts 
vouchsafed  from  heaven."  Cornbury  said  of  Makcmie 
that  he  was  a  "jack-at-all-trades,  a  preacher,  a  doctor 
of  ph^'sic,  a  mechanic,  an  attorney,  a  counsellor-at-lavv, 
and,  which  is  worst  of  all,  a  disturber  of  governments." 
Cornbury  himself  was  soon  afterwards  removed  from  his 
office  in  New  York  because  of  his  injustice  and  corrup- 
tion. 

Makemie's  work  on  earth  came  to  an  end  in  1708, 
the  year  after  the  trial  for  the  crime  of  preaching.  He 
died  most  probably  in  Accomac  County,  Virginia,  for 
his  last  will  was  placed  on  record  there  on  August  4, 
1708..  A  long  sickness  marked  the  end  of  his  days, 
for  Doctor  Charles  Barrett  brought  a  charge  of  five 
pounds  against  the  estate  for  visits  made  in  his 
last  illness.  Moreover,  William  Coman  presented  a 
charge  of  twelve  pounds  for  the  funeral  expenses,  and 
for  his  "trouble"  in  looking  after  Makemie's  house  dur- 
ing the  time  of  his  sickness. 

In  his  will  he  gave  to  the  Presbyterian  congregation 
in  Rehoboth,  Maryland,  the  lot  in  that  town  "on  which 
the  meeting-house"  was  built.  All  of  his  law  books  were 
left  to  his  friend  Andrew  Hamilton.  His  wife  and  two 
daughters  each  received  "forty  volumes  of  English 
books"  from  this  library.  Moreover,  he  charged  "all 
persons  concerned,  in  the  presence  of  Almighty  and 
Omniscient  God,  to  give  and  allow  my  said  children  a 
sober,  virtuous  education."  "My  black  camlet  cloak, 
and  my  new  cane,  bought  and  fixed  at  Boston,"  ac- 
cording to  the  will,  were  given  to  Jedediah  Andrews. 
This  same  cloak  was  afterwards  appraised  at  the  value 
of  two  pounds.  The  remaining  part  of  Makemie's 
library  was  also  bequeathed  to  Andrews  and,  after  him, 
to  his  successors  in  the  office  of  minister  of  the  church  at 
Philadelphia.  "My  will  is,"  wrote  Makemie,  "that  as 
soon  as  said  books  are  remitted  to  Philadelphia,  the 
number  and  names  of  said  library  may  be  put  upon 


20  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

record,  to  be  preserved  there,  as  a  constant  library  for 
the  use  of  foresaid  minister  or  ministers  successively 
forever." 

Within  a  period  of  less  than  one  year  after  the  minis- 
ter's death,  his  wife,  Naomi,  was  married  to  Mr.  James 
Kemp.  Makemie's  property  was  appraised  and  a 
complete  list  was  entered  upon  the  record-book  of  the 
county  of  Accomac.  More  than  one  thousand  pounds 
in  Virginia  currency  was  the  value  assigned  to  his 
personal  property.  His  store  was  well  filled  with 
the  merchandise  needed  in  a  rural  community.  His 
house  was  amply  supplied  with  good  furniture.  There 
was  a  great  herd  of  about  seventy  cows  and  young 
cattle,  with  other  farm  animals  in  large  numbers.  More 
than  twenty  negro  slaves  were  left  to  his  heirs  and 
creditors.  Two  of  these  were  valued  by  the  appraisers 
at  thirty-five  pounds  each;  the  others  were  assessed 
at  varying  rates  down  to  one  crippled  negro  who  was 
"valued  at  nothing."  There  was  one  white  servant 
girl  bound  over  to  render  ten  months  of  service  and 
one  white  boy  under  bond  to  serve  for  seven  years. 

A  total  of  "896  books  in  Latin,  Greek,  English  and 
Hebrew"  was  placed  on  the  property  list.  Moreover,  in 
the  "hall  chamber"  in  his  house  were  found  "King  Wil- 
liam and  Queen  Mary's  pictures."  A  value  of  one 
pound,  ten  shillings,  was  assigned  to  these  emblems  of 
Makemie's  attachment  to  the  Protestant  sovereigns  of 
England. 

The  presbytery  organized  by  Makemie  at  Phila- 
delphia, in  1705,  consisted  as  we  have  seen,  of  one  min- 
ister from  Virginia,  three  from  Maryland,  two  from 
Delaware  and  one  from  Pennsylvania.  Soon  after- 
wards, two  groups  of  Congregationalist  churches  asked 
permission  to  come  in,  with  their  ministers,  as  members 
of  the  presbytery.  One  of  these  groups  was  located  in 
the  eastern  part  of  New  Jersey  and  the  other  was  on 
Long  Island,  in  the  colony  of  New  York.     These  Con- 


Francis  Malceniie  21 

gregationallst  churches  had  been  established  chiefly  by 
Puritan-Presbyterian  settlers  from  New  England.  Ad- 
ditional preachers  came  across  the  sea  from  Scotland 
and  Ireland,  and,  in  1716,  the  number  of  ministers  in 
the  presbytery  was  seventeen.  A  division  of  this  body 
into  four  presbyteries  was,  therefore,  made  as  follows: 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  six  ministers ;  Presbytery 
of  New  Castle,  Delaware,  six  ministers ;  Presbytery  of 
Snow  Hill,  Maryland  and  Virginia,  three  ministers; 
Presbyter}^  of  Long  Island,  New  York,  two  ministers. 
The  representatives  of  these  presbyteries  formed  the 
first  American  Presbyterian  Synod  at  Philadelphia  in 
1717. 

A  number  of  Congregationalist  churches  in  New  Jer- 
sey and  New  York  were  then  added  to  the  Synod.  Many 
Scots  came  to  New  Jersey  to  strengthen  the  Presbyte- 
rians of  that  region.  After  1720  a  multitude  of  Scots 
came  from  Ireland  to  make  their  homes  in  Delaware 
and  Pennsylvania  and  that  section,  for  a  brief  period, 
became  the  center  of  American  Presbyterianism. 

In  1729  the  ministers  who  had  come  from  Scotland 
and  from  Ireland  persuaded  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia 
to  accept  the  Adopting  Act.  This  meant  that  all 
preachers  who  were  then  members  of  the  Synod  and 
those  who  should  afterward  become  members  must  sub- 
scribe to  the  Westminster  Confession  and  Catechisms 
as  "good  forms  of  sound  words  and  S3'stems  of  Christian 
doctrine,"  and  must  adopt  them  as  the  confession  of 
their  own  faith. 


CHAPTER  II. 

EARLY    SCOTS    AND    HUGUENOTS    IN    THE    CAROLINAS    AND 
VIRGINIA. 

In  1683,  the  year  in  which  Makemie  was  ordained 
and  sent  to  the  American  colonies,  a  shipload  of  Scots 
sailed  out  of  the  Clyde  River,  in  Scotland,  and  started 
westward  across  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  Their  leader  was 
Lord  Cardross.  They  had  not  been  allowed  in  Scot- 
land to  worship  God  according  to  the  Presbyterian 
mode.  Charles  the  Second,  King  of  England,  Scotland 
and  Ireland  was  at  that  time  putting  hundreds  of 
Scots  to  death  because  they  were  not  willing  to  worship 
in  the  manner  that  was  followed  by  the  members  of 
the  Episcopal  Church.  The  king  also  sent  many  of 
the  Scots  to  prison  and  he  drove  multitudes  of  them 
out  of  their  country.  Cardross  gathered  a  number  of 
Presbyterian  families  into  a  ship  and  sailed  to  South 
Carolina.  He  landed  on  the  shore  of  the  beautiful 
harbor  of  Port  Royal  and  built  homes  there  for  his 
people.  One  of  the  members  of  the  colony  established 
by  Cardross  was  William  Dunlop,  a  Presbyterian 
minister. 

For  three  years  as  preacher  and  as  shepherd  of 
the  flock,  Dunlop  did  his  work  well  at  Port  Royal.  More 
than  this,  he  played  his  part  boldly  as  a  soldier.  Dunlop 
was  given  the  title  of  major  of  the  militia  organized 
for  the  protection  of  the  settlement  against  Spaniards 
and  Indians.  In  1786  the  Spaniards  came  up  from  Flor- 
ida in  warships  and  destroyed  the  homes  of  the  Scots  at 
Port  Royal.  Many  of  the  settlers  were  slain  and  some 
of  them  returned  to  Scotland.     Among  the  latter  was 


Early  Scots  and  Huguenots  23 

William  Dunlop  who  became  (1690)  principal  of  the 
University  of  Glasgow.  A  Scotch  writer,  Robert  Wod- 
row,  said  of  this  early  Carolina  preacher  that  he  could 
never  name  him  "without  the  greatest  regard  to  his 
memory." 

In  1685,  King  Louis  the  Fourteenth  began  to  drive 
away  from  France  those  people  who  would  not  worship 
according  to  the  Roman  Catholic  method.  Before  that 
time  thousands  of  the  French  had  become  Protestants. 
They  believed  in  the  Presbyterian  mode  of  ruling  and 
teaching  a  church  congregation.  The  King's  soldiers 
went  through  the  land,  tearing  down  and  burning  the 
churches  of  the  French  Protestants,  who  were  called 
Huguenots. 

On  April  15,  1686,  some  of  the  King's  men  went  to 
the  town  of  Pons  in  Southern  France  and  began  to 
batter  down  the  Huguenot  Church  in  that  place.  The 
people  there  were  threatened  with  imprisonment  and 
death  if  they  did  not  leave  the  country.  Elias  Prioleau 
pastor  of  the  Presbyterians  at  Pons,  called  his  flock 
together  and  told  them  to  follow  him.  Many  of  them 
sailed  with  the  minister  across  the  sea  to  Charles  Town 
in  South  Carolina.  They  found  a  number  of  Huguenot 
families  already  established  there.  In  that  same  year, 
1686,  Prioleau  organized  a  congregation  of  Huguenots 
in  Charles  Town.  In  the  following  year,  1687,  a  church 
was  built  upon  the  same  plot  of  ground  upon  which  the 
present  Huguenot  church  stands. 

Soon  afterwards  other  Huguenots  came  to  South 
Carolina  and  congregations  were  organized  on  Goose 
Creek,  on  the  eastern  branch  of  the  Cooper  River,  and 
on  the  Santee  River.  The  Huguenots  continued  for 
many  years  to  speak  and  write  French,  the  language 
which  they  had  used  in  their  native  land.  Their  min- 
isters preached  in  the  same  tongue.  They  were  quiet, 
temperate,  hardworking  people.  Elias  Prioleau  contin- 
ued to  preach  as  "minister  of  the  holy  Gospel  in  the 


24  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

French  Church  of  Charles  Town"  until  his  death  in 
1699.  All  of  the  other  Huguenot,  congregations  en- 
tered, one  by  one,  into  the  fold  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 
Prioleau's  flock,  however,  remained  steadfast,  and  today 
it  is  the  only  distinctive  Huguenot  Church  in  America. 
The  present  house  of  worship  is  on  the  original  site, 
and  the  people  of  the  congregation  still  use  the  old 
French  Presbyterian  form  of  worship  as  in  the  days 
when  the  French  King's  soldiers  battered  down  Prot- 
estant sanctuaries. 

On  the  night  of  December  14,  1695,  two  small  vessels 
sailed  southward  from  the  harbor  of  Boston,  Massa- 
chusetts. They  had  on  board  an  entire  Puritan  con- 
gregation from  the  town  of  Dorchester,  Massachusetts. 
The  leader  of  the  congregation  was  Joseph  Lord  who 
had  just  been  ordained  to  the  gospel  ministry.  They 
made  their  way  through  fierce  storms  to  the  harbor  of 
Charles  Town,  South  Carolina.  They  then  sailed  up 
the  Ashley  River  and  founded  a  town  which  they  named 
Dorchester.  It  stood  near  the  present  town  of  Summer- 
ville.  South  Carolina.  On  February  2,  1696,  Joseph 
Lord  called  all  of  his  people  together  at  Dorchester  and 
made  them  sit  down  under  the  spreading  branches  of  a 
great  oak  tree.  After  preaching  the  Word  he  gave  them 
bread  and  wine  in  the  solemn  observance  of  the  Lord's 
Supper.  As  a  Congregationalist  minister  Joseph  Lord 
served  this  people  until  1720,  when  he  returned  to  Mas- 
sachusetts. Nearly  all  of  the  members  of  the  Dorchester 
congregation  afterwards  went  to  Liberty  County,  Geor- 
gia, and  established  there  the  famous  church  known  as 
Midway. 

One  day  in  July,  1698,  a  company  of  1,200  Scots 
sailed  out  of  the  port  of  Leith,  Scotland.  They  ex- 
pected to  establish  a  colony  on  the  isthmus  of  Darien, 
or  Panama,  near  the  place  where  the  Panama  Canal 
is  now  located.  About  one  year  later  another  company 
of  about  1,500  Scots  followed  them  to  the  same  region. 


Early  Scots  and  Huguenots  25 

Presb3'^terian  ministers  went  along  as  members  of  the 
colony.  These  ministers  organized  at  Panama  the 
separate  Presbytery  of  Caledonia. 

Lack  of  food  drove  the  settlers  away  from  Panama 
and  the  colony  was  never  established.  One  of  these 
ships,  on  the  return  journey  to  Scotland,  in  the  year 
1700,  cast  anchor  outside  of  the  harbor  of  Charles 
Town.  Archibald  Stobo,  a  Presbyterian  preacher,  with 
some  of  his  friends,  went  ashore.  While  he  was  in  the 
city  a  great  wind  came  rushing  along  the  coast  and 
destroyed  the  vessel  in  which  Stobo  had  sailed  to 
Charles  Town. 

About  ten  years  before  that  time,  that  is,  about  1690, 
the  dissenters  of  Charles  Town  had  organized  a  congre- 
gation which  was  at  first  called  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  Their  house  of  worship  was  known  as  "the 
White  Meeting  House"  on  account  of  its  color;  now 
it  is  called  "the  Circular  Church"  by  reason  of 
its  shape.  The  Congregationalists  worshipped  there 
with  the  Presbyterians.  Nearly  all  of  the  early  min- 
isters, however,  were  Congregationalists.  From  1700 
until  1707,  Archibald  Stobo  was  the  pastor  of  this 
church.  We  are  told  that  he  was  in  the  habit  of  preach- 
ing long  sermons.  Sometimes  he  boldly  reproved  his 
people  on  account  of  their  failings.  About  1710,  or 
soon  afterwards,  Stobo  organized  the  church  at  Wilton 
Blun  and  led  his  people  in  building  a  house  of  worship 
there  among  the  oak  trees  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the 
Edisto  about  four  miles  from  the  present  sanctuary. 
About  the  same  time  churches  were  organized  at  Cain- 
hoy,  on  the  Wando  River,  and  on  James  Island,  Edisto 
Island  and  John's  Island.  Bethel  Church  (Walter- 
boro)  was  organized  by  Stobo  in  1728.  The  bell  that 
summoned  the  people  to  worship  in  this  house  of  God 
is  still  in  the  possession  of  the  congregation.  About 
the  year  1723  a  Presbytery  was  organized  on  James 
Island,  known  as  the  old  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina. 


26  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

Stobo  and  John  Witherspoon  and  most  of  the  other 
ministers  in  this  presbytery  were  from  Scotland.  The 
Presbytery  remained  in  close  connection,  therefore, 
with  the  Church  of  Scotland,  and  was  never  associated 
with  any  other  church  body  in  America.  About  the 
time  of  the  Revolution  it  was  dissolved. 

Among  these  churches  on  the  coast  of  South  Carolina, 
Stobo  labored  until  his  death  in  1741.  Just  ten  years 
before  that  date,  that  is,  in  1731,  the  Presbyterians 
withdrew  themselves  from  the  White  Meeting  House 
and  organized  the  First  Church  of  Charles  Town.  As 
most  of  these  Presbyterians  had  come  from  Scotland 
their  house  of  worship  is  known  to  this  day  as  the 
Scotch  Church  of  Charleston.  Their  first  minister  was 
Hugh  Stewart,  a  Scot.  Their  first  house  of  worship 
was  built  of  wood  and  stood  near  the  spot  where  the 
present  Scotch  Church  is  located. 

I  shall  now  tell  you,  in  a  word,  about  another  company 
of  early  Protestant  exiles  from  France.  In  1688  a  num- 
ber of  Huguenots  sailed  from  Holland  with  the  army 
of  William  of  Orange  and  aided  him  in  obtaining  the 
crown  as  King  of  England.  William  the  Third  gave 
to  these  Huguenot  soldiers  some  land  in  Virginia.  In 
1699  a  body  of  three  hundred  Huguenots,  men,  women 
and  children,  came  to  Virginia  and  built  houses  at  Man- 
akin  Town  on  the  James  River,  about  twenty  miles 
above  Richmond.  Two  hundred  more  came  the  follow- 
ing year.  Others  followed  still  later  until  about  eight 
hundred  of  these  worthy  people  were  established  on  the 
James  River  and  in  the  Piedmont  region  of  Virginia. 
Among  them  were  the  Dupuys,  Flournoys,  Fontaines, 
Lacys,  Mortons,  Sampsons,  Venables,  Watkinses  and 
other  well-known  Presbyterian  families. 

The  minister  who  came  with  the  Huguenots  to 
Virginia  was  Claude  Philippe  de  Richebourg.  He 
was  given  special  permission  by  the  Virginia  law- 
makers to  conduct  religious  worship  according  to  the 


Early  Scots  and  Huguenots  27 

Presbyterian  mode.  He  preached  to  his  people  in  their 
own  French  form  of  speech.  About  1710,  Richebourg 
and  most  of  the  French  settlers  left  Virginia  and  moved 
further  southward  to  the  Trent  River  in  North  Caro- 
lina. Then,  in  1712,  Richebourg  went  farther  still 
and  made  his  home  among  the  Huguenots  who  lived 
on  the  Santee  River  in  South  Carolina.  When  their 
pastor,  Pierre  Robert,  became  weak  through  age,  Rich- 
ebourg took  up  the  work  of  chief  shepherd  among  the 
Santee  flock.  His  manner  was  quiet  and  his  life  was 
marked  by  deep,  earnest  piety.  About  the  year  1719, 
Richebourg  entered  into  the  peace  which  God  giveth  to 
His  beloved. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  COMING   OF   THE  SCOTS   TO   THE   AMERICAN    COLONIES. 

1  MUST  now  tell  you  of  the  coming  of  a  great  multi- 
tude of  God-fearing  people  across  the  Atlantic  to  the 
American  colonies.  They  were  Scots,  but  the  land  from 
which  most  of  them  set  forth  upon  the  ocean  voyage 
was  Ulster,  North  Ireland. 

And  how  did  it  happen  that  Scots  took  ship  from 
Ireland  to  sail  to  America.''  The  answer  is,  that  for 
a  hundred  years  and  more,  Ireland  was  the  dwelling- 
place  of  many  of  these  Scots.  James  the  First,  King 
of  England,  gave  lands  in  Ulster  to  a  large  number  of 
settlers  from  the  lowlands  of  Scotland.  In  1610  they 
began  to  cross  the  narrow  water-strait  from  Scotland 
to  Ireland  and  to  build  homes  in  Ulster.  Some  English 
settlers  came,  also,  to  dwell  among  the  Scots.  The 
Scots  and  English  of  Ulster  were  honest  people;  they 
worshipped  God  and  worked  hard  to  make  the  soil  of 
Ulster  bear  corn  and  fruits  and  flowers.  They  refused 
to  worship  in  the  way  in  which  the  members  of  the 
Episcopal  Church  conducted  religious  services.  The 
people  of  Ulster  became  Presbyterians  and  built 
churches  and  schoolhouses  in  all  of  their  towns  and 
villages. 

When  Charles  the  Second  came  to  the  English  throne, 
in  1660,  he  said  that  he  would  force  the  Presbyterians  of 
Scotland  to  become  Episcopalians.  The  King  sent  cruel 
soldiers  under  Claverhouse,  Carstairs,  Sharp,  Dalzell 
and  Drummond,  to  drive  the  Presbyterians  out  of  their 
churches  and  their  homes.   The  brave  Scots  met  together 

28 


The  Coming  of  the  Scots  to  America  29 

on  the  wild  moorlands  and  in  the  valleys  and  there 
under  the  shadow  of  trees  and  great  rocks  they 
offered  worship  to  God  in  tlie  simple  form  taught  them 
by  their  Presbyterian  fathers.  The  soldiers  of  King 
Charles  the  Second  spurred  their  horses  among  these 
quiet  worshippers  and  cut  them  down  with  the  sword  or 
shot  them  as  they  fled  across  the  hills.  This  "killing 
time,"  as  it  was  called,  went  on  for  years,  but  the  Scots 
did  not  give  up  their  rehgion.  They  vowed  again  and 
again  that  they  would  keep  the  "Solemn  League  and 
Covenant"  which  their  fathers  and  grandfathers  swore 
that  they  would  keep  as  the  basis  of  their  Presbyterian 
faith.  As  a  memorial  of  this  vow,  the  Scots  unfurled  a 
blue  flag  on  which  was  a  white  cross  with  the  words  writ- 
ten in  golden  letters,  "For  Christ's  Crown  and  Cove- 
nant." 

Many  of  the  "Covenanters,"  as  thej  called  them- 
selves, remained  at  home  in  Scotland  to  meet  the  cruel 
soldiers  and  to  die.  A  great  multitude  of  them,  how- 
ever, fled  to  Ireland,  and  there  for  a  time  found  refuge 
among  their  kinsmen  and  friends  in  Ulster.  In  1689, 
when  the  Roman  Catholics  of  Ireland  tried  to  take  pos- 
session of  the  entire  island  in  the  name  of  King  James 
the  Second,  the  Presbyterians  of  Ulster  assembled 
in  the  town  of  Londonderry  and  from  behind  its  walls 
defied  the  King.  The  supply  of  food  failed  but  the 
men  of  'Derry  fought  on  with  nothing  to  eat,  some- 
times, except  leather  and  old  shoes.  The  defenders  of 
the  town  grew  weak  and  sick  from  hunger  and  some  of 
them  died  but  they  never  gave  up.  Aid  came  at  last 
from  William  of  Orange,  who  had  been  made  King  of 
England.  The  Presbyterians  thus  saved  Ireland  from 
Roman  Catholic  rule. 

After  the  death  of  William  of  Orange,  known  as 
King  William  the  Third,  the  rulers  of  England  took 
away  from  the  Presbyterians  of  Ireland  many  of  their 
liberties.     English  laws  were  passed  to  keep  Presbyte- 


30  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

nan  ministers  from  joining  men  and  women  together  in 
marriage,  to  prevent  Presbyterian  schoolmasters  from 
teaching  in  schools  and  to  take  away  the  profit  made  by 
the  people  of  Ulster  in  the  raising  of  wool.  The  Scots 
of  Ulster,  therefore,  sought  new  homes  in  America. 
After  the  year  1714,  their  ships  began  to  cross  the  sea 
from  Ulster  in  a  long  unbroken  line.  For  more  than  sixty 
years  they  continued  to  come.  It  was  the  most  extensive 
movement  ever  made  from  Europe  to  America  before 
the  modern  days  of  steamships.  Often  as  many  as 
12,000  came  in  a  single  year.  In  one  week,  in  1727,  six 
ship-loads  were  landed  at  Philadelphia.  In  the  two 
years,  1773  and  1774,  more  than  30,000  came.  A  body 
of  about  600,000  Scots  was  thus  brought  from  Ulster 
and  from  Scotland  to  the  American  colonies,  making 
about  one-fourth  of  our  population  at  the  time  of  the 
Revolution. 

A  few  of  these  people  of  Ulster,  led  by  Thomas  Craig- 
head,  came  to  Boston,  Massachusetts.  Craighead  was 
entered  on  the  records  of  the  University  of  Glasgow  as 
Scoto-Hibernus,  a  Scot  from  Ireland.  In  1718  some 
Ulstermen  planted  the  town  of  Londonderry,  New 
Hampshire;  others  established  Worcester,  Massachu- 
setts, and  still  others  went  to  Casco  Bay  in  the  present 
State  of  Maine. 

The  great  body  of  settlers  from  Ulster,  however, 
sailed  up  the  Delaware  River  and  went  ashore  at  Ches- 
ter and  at  Philadelphia.  They  sought  homes  at  first 
in  western  Pennsylvania.  They  found  their  way  into 
the  Cumberland  Valley  of  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland. 
Afterwards,  many  of  them  turned  their  faces  southward. 
Across  the  Potomac  they  came  in  a  great  stream  into 
Virginia.  They  passed  along  both  sides  of  the  Blue 
Ridge,  and  built  homes  on  the  banks  of  the  beautiful 
streams  and  under  the  shadows  of  the  lofty  mountains. 
Some  of  them  made  their  way  into  Tennessee  and  Ken- 
tucky.    Others  kept  on  their  journey  southward    and 


The  Coming  of  the  Scots  to  America  31 

found  homes  in  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia. 

From  the  Highlands  of  Scotland  a  great  number 
of  Presbyterians  came  to  the  Cape  Fear  region  of 
North  Carolina  and  to  the  upper  Pee  Dee  country  of 
South  Carolina.  Just  before  the  Revolution  another 
stream  of  Scots,  chiefly  from  Ireland,  began  to  enter 
Charles  Town  harbor,  South  Carolina.  They  pressed 
into  the  highland  regions  of  that  fair  country  and  set- 
tled there.  Afterwards  they  filled  up  the  great  Missis- 
sippi Valley  and  moved  thence  westward ;  many  of  them 
went  into  Florida  and  Alabama  and  built  their  homes 
near  the  waters  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Thus  came  the  Presbyterians  from  Ireland  and,  also, 
directly  from  Scotland  to  the  western  borders  of  the 
American  colonies.  They  knew  how  to  use  the  axe  and 
the  rifle.  They  carried  with  them  the  Bible,  the  West- 
minster Confession  of  Faith  and  the  Catechisms.  Just 
before  the  American  Revolution,  houses  and  churches 
and  schoolhouses  were  built  in  what  was  then  the  west- 
ern part  of  our  country  among  the  mountains  of  Vir- 
ginia and  among  the  hills  near  the  mountains  in  the 
Carolinas  and  Georgia. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

JOHN    CRAIG,    FIRST    PASTOR    IN    THE    WESTERN    PART    OF 
VIRGINIA. 

We  must  return,  now,  to  the  northern  borders  of  Vir- 
ginia and  watch  the  advance  of  the  Presbyterian  Scots 
southward  from  Pennsylvania  across  the  Potomac 
River.  As  early  as  1719,  a  group  of  families  living  at  a 
place  called  Potomac,  in  Virginia,  was  eager  to  find  a 
minister  who  would  furnish  them  the  gospel.  The  next 
year,  1720,  Daniel  McGill  organized  a  Presbyterian 
congregation  at  Potomac,  probably  the  same  place  which 
now  bears  the  name  of  Shepherdstown,  on  the  upper 
Potomac  River,  in  West  Virginia.  Some  Germans,  of 
the  German  Reformed  Church,  were  members  with  the 
Scots  of  this  congregation  at  Shepherdstown  which  was 
the  first  church  organized  in  the  western  part  of 
Virginia. 

In  the  summer  of  1732,  John  Lewis,  a  Scot  from 
Donegal  County,  province  of  Ulster,  made  his  way  up 
the  beautiful  Shenandoah  Valley,  usually  called  the 
Valley  of  Virginia.  His  sons  were  with  him,  and  friends 
followed  in  the  paths  which  they  made  through  the 
forests.  Lewis  built  a  house  in  the  valley  near  the 
present  town  of  Staunton.  Two  years  later  (1734)  the 
stream  of  settlers  flowed  through  a  gap  in  the  Blue 
Ridge  into  the  present  Albemarle  County. 

About  the  year  1735,  William  Hoge,  a  Scot,  came 
with  his  family  to  the  lower  valley  and  established  a 
home  on  Opecquon  Creek  near  the  present  Kernstown. 
From  this  immigrant  sprang  that  long  line  of  worthy 
men  whose  lives  have  given  strength  to  the  Presbyterian 

32 


John  Craig  33 

Church.  William  Hogc  gave  land  near  his  dwelling- 
house  as  the  site  for  a  place  of  worship.  There  in  the 
same  year  (1735),  Samuel  Gelston  preached  to  the  peo- 
ple of  the  settlement.  A  church  called  the  Opecquon 
Church  was  organized  about  1738,  and  during  the  fol- 
lowing summer,  John  Craig  was  their  minister.  Then, 
in  17-iO,  Craig  moved  farther  up  the  valley  and  entered 
upon  a  long  term  of  service  as  shepherd  of  the  flock  that 
had  followed  John  Lewis  into  the  tract  of  land  known 
as  Beverley's  Manor,  in  Augusta  County,  around  and 
near  the  present  Staunton  in  the  Valley  of  Virginia. 

John  Craig  was  a  native  of  Antrim,  North  Ireland, 
and  received  his  education  at  the  University  of  Edin- 
burgh. The  people  of  his  congregation  dwelt  near  the 
streams  known  as  the  Triple  Forks  of  the  Shenandoah 
River,  within  a  region  that  was  about  thirty  miles  in 
length  by  twenty  miles  in  breadth.  Four  other  Presby- 
terian ministers  had  made  brief  visits  to  that  Augusta 
region  before  Craig  came.  The  latter  made  his  home 
among  the  people  and  remained  there  as  the  first  perma- 
nent pastor  in  the  western  part  of  Virginia. 

Every  Sunday  morning  John  Craig  walked  five  miles 
to  the  place  of  worship.  In  one  hand  he  carried  a  Bible. 
In  the  other  hand  or  upon  his  shoulder  he  usually 
carried  a  rifle,  to  be  used  against  Indians  if 
they  should  make  an  attack.  All  the  men  of  his 
congregation  likewise  brought  rifles.  A  powder 
horn  was  hung  from  each  man's  shoulder  by  a 
long  strap.  At  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  people 
were  seated  in  their  accustomed  places  upon  rude 
benches  made  of  logs  and  the  service  began.  The  min- 
ister continued  to  preach  his  sermon  until  noonday. 
Then  for  an  hour  the  men,  women  and  children  of  the 
congregation  sat  down  in  family  groups  beneath  the 
shade  of  the  great  trees  and  ate  their  simple  midday 
meal.  At  one  o'clock,  the  minister  resumed  the  same  ser- 
mon  and  continued  until  after  sunset.     It  was  some- 


34  Southern  Preshytei'uin  Leaders 

times  so  late  when  the  sermon  was  brought  to  a  close 
that  the  leader  of  the  congregational  singing  could 
scarcely  see  how  to  read  the  last  psalm.  One  of  John 
Craig's  sermons  has  been  handed  down  in  the  written 
form.  We  may  understand  how  it  occupied  the  atten- 
tion of  the  congregation  for  an  entire  day,  when  we 
learn  that  it  is  arranged  under  fifty-five  heads,  or 
divisions. 

Two  houses  of  worship  were  established  within  the 
limits  of  John  Craig's  congregation.  Men,  women  and 
children  labored  together  with  their  own  hands  to  put  up 
these  buildings.  One  was  built  of  stone  and  was  com- 
pleted in  1748.  It  is  said  that  the  women  brought  on 
horseback  to  the  church  the  sand  that  was  used  in  cement- 
ing the  stones  together.  This  stone  church,  known  as  the 
Augusta  Church,  which  still  stands  upon  a  ridge  in  the 
midst  of  a  grove  of  oak  trees,  was  made  into  a  fortress 
in  1755  and  used  as  a  place  of  refuge  from  the  assaults 
of  the  Indians.  The  other  church  building  was  made 
of  logs  and  was  built  about  1745.  Some  members  of 
the  congregation  wished  to  erect  it  near  a  small  fountain 
of  water  called  the  Tinkling  Spring.  Other  members, 
led  by  the  pastor,  advocated  another  location.  Those 
in  favor  of  building  the  house  of  worship  near  the 
spring  had  their  way,  but  John  Craig  was  not  always 
like  a  lamb  in  his  disposition,  for  he  cried  out:  "Well, 
I  am  resolved  that  none  of  that  water  shall  ever  tinkle 
down  my  throat."  He  kept  his  word.  And  yet,  although 
the  look  of  severity  sometimes  came  over  the  face  of  this 
minister,  his  heart  was  always  full  of  tenderness.  Mul- 
titudes were  brought  into  the  kingdom  of  God  through 
his  labors. 

The  Ten  Commandments  were  made  a  part  of  the  law 
of  the  land  by  the  people  of  John  Craig's  congrega- 
tion. The  records  of  the  law  courts,  held  at  Staunton 
for  Augusta  County,  show  us  that  at  that  time  men  were 
punished  in  a  public  manner  for    swearing    profane 


John  Craig  '  35 

oaths,  for  becoming  drunken,  for  speaking  lies  and  for 
breaking  the  Sabbath  day  by  making  long  journeys  and 
by  singing  profane  songs. 

When  General  Braddock's  army  was  defeated  by  the 
French  and  Indians,  in  western  Pennsylvania,  in  1755, 
there  was  great  fear  that  the  red  men  would  advance 
into  the  Valley  of  Virginia.  Some  of  the  settlers  there 
said  that  all  of  the  white  people  ought  to  flee  away 
from  the  Valley  and  seek  safety  elsewhere.  "I  opposed 
that  scheme,"  wrote  Mr.  Craig  in  a  small  record  book 
which  he  kept;  '*!  opposed  that  scheme  as  a  scandal 
to  our  nation,  falling  below  our  brave  ancestors, 
making  ourselves  a  reproach  among  Virginians,  a  dis- 
honor to  our  friends  at  home,  an  evidence  of  cowardice, 
want  of  faith  and  noble  Christian  dependence  on  God 
as  able  to  save  and  deliver  from  the  heathen ;  and,  withal, 
a  lasting  blot  forever  on  all  our  posterity."  He  urged 
his  people  to  build  forts.  The  chief  fortress  used  was 
their  stone  church  building.  "My  own  flock,"  said  the 
brave  minister,  "required  me  to  go  before  them  in  the 
work,  which  I  did  cheerfully,  though  it  cost  me  one- 
third  of  my  estate ;  but  the  people  followed,  and  my 
congregation,  in  less  than  two  months,  was  well 
fortified." 

This  patriotic  man  of  God  lived  until  the  year  1774. 
Then,  just  as  the  war  of  the  Revolution  was  about  to 
begin,  he  passed  away. 


CHAPTER  V. 

OLD    SIDE    AND    NEW    SIDE    PARTIES    AMONG    THE 
PRESBYTERIANS. 

The  terms  Old  Side  and  New  Side  Presbyterians 
were  used  in  connection  with  a  movement  known  as  the 
Great  Awakening.  This  movement  was  a  religious  revi- 
val that  swept  through  the  country  during  the  period 
1730-'40.  It  began  with  the  earnest,  spiritual  preach- 
ing of  Jacob  Frelinghuysen,  a  minister  of  the  Dutch 
Reformed  Church  in  New  Jersey.  His  sermons  touched 
the  heart  of  Gilbert  Tennent,  Presbyterian  minister  at 
New  Brunswick,  son  of  William  Tennent  who  founded 
the  "Log  College"  at  Neshaminy,  Pennsylvania.  In  the 
year  1728  Gilbert  Tennent's  gospel  message  began  to 
show  that  he  was  "a  son  of  thunder,  whose  preaching 
must  either  convert  or  enrage  hypocrites."  In  1734 
Jonathan  Edwards,  of  Northampton,  Massachusetts,  ad- 
ded strength  to  the  religious  awakening  already  started 
by  the  preaching  of  Tennent.  In  1739,  George  White- 
field,  the  Methodist  missionary,  came  from  England  to 
extend  the  great  spiritual  movement  throughout  the 
colonies  from  Massachusetts  to  Georgia.  Many  of  the 
ministers  of  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia,  however,  were 
opposed  to  religious  revivals.  They  claimed  that  these 
revivals  were  attended  with  too  much  excitement  and  dis- 
order. Those  who  favored  revivals  claimed  that  the 
latter  were  signs  of  the  power  and  grace  of  God  among 
men.  They  declared  that  Whitefield  was  the  model 
preacher  of  the  word  of  God.  Two  parties  in  the  church 
were  formed  at  once.  The  Old  Side  party  opposed  the 
practice  of  holding  religious  revivals.     The  New  Side 


Old  Side  and  New  Side  Parties  37 

party  favored  such  a  practice.  The  strife  between  the 
two  parties  led  to  a  division  of  the  Synod  in  1741. 

The  division  among  the  churches  in  1741  led  to  the 
formation  of  a  New  Side  Synod.  All  of  those  Presby- 
terian ministers  who  had  taken  part  as  revivalists  in  the 
heated  discussions  of  that  period  organized  the  Presby- 
tery of  New  York  (1745).  It  was  composed  of  three 
Presbyteries:  (1)  New  York  Presbytery,  (2)  New 
Brunswick  Presbytery,  (3)  New  Castle  Presbytery,  Avith 
twenty-two  ministers  in  all.  The  Synod  of  Philadel- 
phia, as  the  Old  Side  Synod,  retained  the  other  twenty- 
four  ministers.  During  the  period  when  the  Old  Side 
and  the  New  Side  were  thus  parted  asunder,  the  New 
Side  Synod  (New  York)  organized  the  Hanover  Pres- 
bytery in  Virginia  (1755). 

In  1758  the  two  synods  drew  together  again  and 
became  one  under  the  title  of  the  Synod  of  New  York 
and  Philadelphia.  The  American  Presbyterian  churches 
remained  under  this  form  of  organization  until  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Presbyterian  General  Assembly  in  the 
year  1789. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

JOHN   BLAIR   AND   JOHN    BROWN   IN    THE   SOUTHERN    PART 
OF  THE  VALLEY  OF  VIRGINIA. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  1737  a  Scot,  who  was  well 
advanced  in  years,  passed  across  the  Blue  Ridge  at 
Wood's  Gap  and  entered  the  Valley  of  Virginia.  His 
name  was  Ephraim  McDowell,  and  from  him  sprang 
the  well-known  McDowell  clan  of  Virginia  and  Ken- 
tucky. With  Ephraim  came  his  wife,  two  sons  and 
a  daughter  and  the  daughter's  husband.  The  little 
company  of  settlers  met  Benjamin  Burden  and  were 
persuaded  by  him  to  build  cabins  on  Timber  Ridge  in 
the  present  Rockbridge  County,  near  the  headwaters  of 
the  North  Fork  of  the  James  River.  A  tract  of  100,- 
000  acres  in  that  region  had  been  granted  to  Burden 
by  the  governor  of  Virginia.  The  building  of  the 
McDowell  cabins  on  Burden's  grant  was  the  beginning 
of  the  settlement  of  all  that  part  of  the  Valley  of  Vir- 
ginia that  looks  towards  the  southwest,  now  embracing 
the  counties  of  Rockbridge,  Botetourt,  Roanoke,  Mont- 
gomery, Wythe  and  Washington. 

The  advance  of  the  Scots  from  Ulster  into  this  region 
of  rolling  hills  was  so  rapid  that,  nine  years  afterwards, 
three  separate  church  congregations  were  formed  among 
the  people.  John  Blair,  a  Scot  from  Ireland,  was  then 
dwelling  in  Pennsylvania.  He  was  in  connection  with 
the  New  Side  Synod  of  New  York.  In  1746  he  came  to 
Rockbridge  County  and  organized  the  congrega- 
tions of  Timber  Ridge,  New  Providence  and  New  Mon» 
mouth.  Archibald  Alexander,  grandfather  of  Dr.  Arch- 
ibald Alexander,   of  Princeton,  was   a  member   of  the 

38 


John  Blair  and  John  Brown  39 

first  session  organized  in  the  Timber  Ridge  congrega- 
tion. In  the  same  year,  Blair  organized  the  North 
JMountain  congregation  in  Augusta  County.  From  the 
latter  sprang  the  two  churches  of  Hebron  and  Bethel, 
near  Staunton.  Blair  was  afterwards  for  a  time 
a  teacher  in  Princeton  College.  His  son,  John  D.  Blair, 
was  the  first  Presbyterian  minister  in  the  city  of  Rich- 
mond, Virginia. 

In  1753,  John  Brown,  a  graduate  of  Princeton,  began 
his  work  as  pastor  over  the  flocks  at  Timber  Ridge  and 
New  Providence.  This  John  Brown  was  a  Scot  from 
North  Ireland.  He  became  the  head  of  a  family  that  af- 
terwards bore  his  name  with  honor  in  Kentucky  and  Loui- 
siana. In  1756  the  people  of  the  Timber  Ridge  congre- 
gation, men  and  women  working  together,  completed  the 
stone  house  of  God,  which  is  standing  unto  this  day 
upon  the  hill-top,  with  the  great  oak  tree  beside  it.  We 
are  told  that  the  women  of  the  congregation  carried  on 
horseback  a  distance  of  six  miles  the  sand  used  in 
making  the  stone  walls.  About  the  same  time  the  New 
Providence  congregation,  in  like  manner,  erected  a  stone 
church  in  the  place  of  the  two  log  meeting-houses 
which  had  previously  served  as  places  of  worship. 
Soon  after  the  year  1760,  John  Brown  withdrew 
from  the  pastorate  of  the  Timber  Ridge  Church  and 
gave  himself  entirely  to  the  work  at  New  Providence. 
In  addition  to  the  care  of  the  church  at  that  place  he 
also  took  upon  himself  the  task  of  superintending  a 
church  school,  the  first  of  its  kind  established  by  the 
Presbyterians  of  Virginia. 

In  1749,  Robert  Alexander,  a  Scot,  and  also  a  grad- 
uate of  Dublin  University,  Ireland,  organized  a  classi- 
cal school  within  the  bounds  of  the  present  Bethel 
Church.  A  few  years  later,  this  same  school  passed  un- 
der the  control  of  the  minister,  John  Brown.  By  him  it 
was  conducted  for  the  special  purpose  of  training  some 
of  the  young  men  of  his  congregatior  as  ministers  of 


40  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

the  gospel.  We  learn  this  fact  from  a  letter  written  by 
Samuel  Houston,  who  was  born  about  1758  within  the 
limits  of  John  Brown's  congregation.  Houston  says  that 
just  before  the  Revolution,  "Some  men  whose  sons  were 
growing  up  felt  a  desire  for  having  them,  or  part  of 
them,  educated  liberally,  chiefly  with  a  view  to  the  min- 
istry of  the  gospel.  Accordingly,  a  small  grammar 
school  was  formed  in  the  neighborhood  of  Old  Provi- 
dence, composed  of  Samuel  Doak,  John  Montgomery, 
Archibald  Alexander,  James  Houston,  William  Tate, 
Samuel  Greenlee,  William  Wilson  and  others,  which 
greatly  increased  and  drew  youths  from  distant  neigh- 
borhoods. This  grammar  school  was  moved  to  the  place 
near  Fairfield,  called  Mount  Pleasant  (near  New  Prov- 
idence Church)  ;  it  was,  in  1776,  established  at  Timber 
Ridge  meeting  house  and  named  Liberty  Hall." 

Five  of  the  seven  students  here  named — Doak,  Mont- 
gomery, Alexander,  Houston  and  Wilson — became  min- 
isters ;  Archibald  Alexander,  however,  did  not  attend 
the  school  until  after  the  Revolution. 

When  the  school  was  removed  to  a  place  near  Brown's 
dwelling-house  at  Fairfield,  within  the  limits  of  the  New 
Providence  congregation.  Brown  was  assisted  in  teach- 
ing by  Ebenezer  Smith,  brother  of  Samuel  Stanhope 
Smith,  first  president  of  Hampden  Sidney  College.  Ebe- 
nezer afterwards  became  a  Presbyterian  minister.  In 
1776,  John  Brown's  School  was  established  under  the 
shadow  of  the  Timber  Ridge  Church  and  named  Liberty 
Hall  Academy,  most  probably  in  honor  of  Liberty  Hall, 
the  place  of  Brown's  birth  and  childhood  in  North  Ire- 
land. When  John  Brown  laid  down  his  work  because  of 
his  advancing  years,  he  sought  a  place  of  rest  among  his 
children  in  Kentucky.  In  that  fair  land  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  days. 


CHArTER  VII. 

WILLIAM    ROBINSON    AND    JOHN    ROAN    IN    THE    PIEDMONT 
SECTION   OF   VIRGINIA. 

The  line  of  travel  followed  by  some  of  the  Ulster 
Scots  when  they  moved  southward  from  Pennsylvania 
across  the  Potomac,  led  them  along  the  eastern  base  of 
the  Blue  Ridge  into  the  Piedmont  section  of  Virginia. 
About  the  year  1738  Presbyterian  congregations  were 
organized  at  Cub  Creek  in  Charlotte  County  and  on  Buf- 
falo Creek  in  Prince  Edward  County.  One  of  the  mem- 
bers of  one  of  these  congregations  in  Charlotte  was  John 
Caldwell,  a  ruling  elder  from  Chestnut  Level,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  great-grandfather  of  John  Caldwell  Calhoun, 
of  South  Carolina. 

When  the  Ulstermen  entered  Virginia  they  found  that 
the  laws  of  that  colony  required  all  persons  to  worship 
after  the  Episcopal  method.  In  the  year  1738,  John 
Caldwell  sent  a  petition  to  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia 
asking  that  body  to  secure  from  Governor  Gooch,  of 
Virginia,  the  permission  to  worship  God  in  the  Presby- 
terian way.  The  Synod  sent  Caldwell's  petition  to  Gov- 
ernor Gooch,  who  was  himself  a  native  of  Scotland. 
The  Synod,  therefore,  informed  him  that  the  new  colo- 
nists who  were  seeking  homes  in  Virginia  were  of  the 
same  religious  faith  as  the  Church  of  Scotland.  Gooch 
wished  to  see  the  Ulstermen  established  along  the  west- 
ern boundary  of  the  colony  as  a  wall  of  defence  against 
the  Indians.  He,  therefore,  replied  that  these  Scots 
from  Ulster  might  worship  in  their  own  way,  if  they 
would  have  the  name  and  location  of  each  of  their  reli- 
gious meeting-houses  entered  in  the  register  of  the 
county    court.      Under    this    authority    the    Caldwells 

41 


42  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

came  from  Pennsylvania  and  established  the  Caldwell 
Settlement  in  two  divisions,  in  Charlotte  and  Prince 
Edward  counties,  Virginia.  Three  members  of  the 
Caldwell  family  were  ruling  elders  in  the  church  built 
at  Cub  Creek. 

About  the  year  1740,  when  Gooch  was  still  governor 
of  the  colony  of  Virginia,  a  number  of  persons  began 
to  withdraw  themselves  from  the  Virginia  Episcopal 
Church.  They  dwelt  in  the  county  of  Hanover,  near 
Richmond.  This  withdrawal  from  the  Episcopal  fold 
was  caused  by  the  reading  of  a  volume  of  the  sermons 
of  George  Whitefield,  the  Methodist  missionary,  and  of 
the  Westminster  Confession  of  Faith.  A  small  group 
of  persons  built  a  house  on  the  lands  of  Samuel  Morris, 
in  Hanover,  and  there  met  together  for  reading  and  for 
prayer.  A  request  which  they  sent  brought  a  Presby- 
terian minister  to  Hanover  in  the  year  1743. 

William  Robinson,  a  native  of  England,  was  ordained, 
in  1741,  in  New  Jersey,  as  a  minister  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  He  made  a  journey  through  Virginia  into 
North  Carolina  and  preached  the  gospel  in  both  colo- 
nies. On  Sunday,  July  6,  1743,  and  on  the  three  days 
ensuing,  Robinson  preached  in  Samuel  Morris'  Reading- 
House  in  Han9ver.  "Such  of  us  as  had  been  hungering 
for  the  word  before,"  says  Mr.  Morris,  "were  lost  in 
agreeable  surprise  and  astonishment,  and  some  could  not 
refrain  from  publicly  declaring  their  transports.  We 
were  overwhelmed  with  the  thoughts  of  all  the  unexpected 
goodness  of  God  in  allowing  us  to  hear  the  gospel  preach- 
ed in  a  manner  that  surpassed  our  hopes.  Many  that 
came  through  curiosity  were  pricked  to  their  heart; 
and  but  few  of  the  numerous  assembly  on  these  four 
days  remained  unaffected.  They  returned  alarmed 
with  apprehensions  of  their  former  entire  ignorance  of 
religion  and  anxiously  inquiring  what  they  should  do  to 
be  saved."  A  church  was  organized  by  Robinson  among 
these  eager  inquirers.     Many  gave  him  money  which  he 


William  Robinson  and  John  Roan  4iS 

refused  to  keep  for  himself.  It  was  used  in  educating  a 
minister  for  the  Church  of  Hanover,  and  that  minister 
was  Samuel  Davies,  the  founder  of  the  Hanover  Presby- 
tery. Davics  said  of  Robinson,  who  died  in  1746:  "He 
did  much  in  a  little  time ;  and  who  would  not  choose  such 
an  expeditious  pilgrimage  through  this  world  .f*" 

William  Robinson's  work  in  Hanover  was  continued 
by  John  Roan,  the  principal  of  an  academy  near  Phila- 
delphia. He  came  to  Virginia  in  1744.  His  spirit  seem- 
ed to  be  touched  with  the  fire  of  the  apostles.  His 
words  seemed  to  melt  the  hearts  of  sinners.  Con- 
verts were  multiplied.  Opposition  was  stirred  up 
against  Roan,  however,  and  the  charge  was  made  to 
Governor  Gooch  that  Roan  was  turning  the  world  upside 
down.  In  spite  of  this  charge  one  community  after 
another  invited  this  fiery  preacher  to  declare  to  them 
the  gospel.  In  1745  the  governor  and  council  of  Vir- 
ginia gave  their  attention  to  this  matter  and  John  Roan, 
the  preacher,  with  a  number  of  citizens,  was  placed 
under  an  indictment  for  showing  opposition  to  the 
Episcopal  Church  of  the  colony.  When  the  case  was 
brought  to  trial,  the  charge  against  Roan  was  not  sus- 
tained by  the  evidence  and  he  was  dismissed  as  without 
blame. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

SAMUEL  DA  VIES  FOUNDS  THE  HAKOVER  PRESBYTERY. 

Samuel  Davies  was  born  in  Delaware  in  the  year  1723. 
His  parents  were  of  Welsh  descent.  From  his  mother 
he  inherited  a  strong  mind.  With  reference  to  his 
mother,  Davies  afterwards  said :  "I  am  a  son  of  prayer, 
like  my  namesake,  Samuel  the  prophet,  and  my  mother 
called  me  Samuel,  be(*ause,  she  said,  'I  have  asked  him 
of  the  Lord.'  This  early  dedication  to  God  has  always 
been  a  strong  inducement  to  me  to  devote  myself  to  Him 
as  a  personal  act,  and  the  most  important  blessings  of 
my  life  I  have  looked  upon  as  immediate  answers  to  the 
prayers  of  a  pious  mother." 

Until  he  reached  the  age  of  ten  years  Davies  remained 
at  home  under  the  instruction  of  his  mother.  She  taught 
him  at  the  same  time  how  to  read  and  to  write  and  to 
pray.  At  fifteen  he  publicly  announced  his  faith  in 
Christ  and  entered  the  church.  A  classical  and  theo- 
logical course  at  Samuel  Blair's  log-college,  Fagg's 
Manor,  Pennsylvania,  completed  the  training  of  this 
modern  prophet  and  he  was  ordained  as  evangelist  by 
New  Castle  Presbytery,  in  February,  1747. 

On  April  14,  1747,  a  tall,  slender  young  man,  pale 
and  wasted  from  sickness,  dignified  and  courteous  in 
manner,  stood  before  Governor  Gooch  and  his  council 
at  Williamsburg,  Virginia.  The  young  man  was  Samuel 
Davies,  who  asked  the  governor  to  allow  him  to  preach 
at  four  meeting-houses  in  Hanover  County.  This  right 
was  granted  by  the  governor  and  council  and  for  several 
months  Davies  gave  the  word  to  the  people  of  that 
section.  Then  the  wife  of  Davies  was  suddenly  taken 
from  the  earth  and  serious  illness,  also,  came  upon  him. 

44 


c^  -^ 


SAMUEL  DAVIES 


Facing  page  44 


Samuel  Davies  46 

In  spite  of  grief  and  sickness  he  continued  to  preach. 
Dr.  Gibbons,  a  friend  of  Davies,  says  of  him  at  this 
time : 

"Finding  himself  upon  the  border  of  the  grave  and 
without  any  hopes  of  a  recovery,  he  determined  to  spend 
the  little  remains  of  an  almost  exhausted  life,  as  he 
apprehended  it,  in  endeavoring  to  advance  his  Master's 
glory  in  the  good  of  souls ;  and,  as  he  told  me,  he 
preached  in  the  day  and  had  his  hectic  [fever]  by  night, 
and  to  such  a  degree  as  to  be  sometimes  delirious  and  to 
stand  in  need  of  persons  to  sit  up  with  him." 

In  the  spring  of  1748  the  strength  of  his  disease 
abated.  Then  a  messenger  came  to  him  from  Hanover 
County  bearing  a  petition  signed  by  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  heads  of  families.  They  urged  him  to  become 
their  pastor.  His  heart  was  greatly  moved.  "I  put  my 
life  in  my  hand,"  he  said,  "and  determined  to  accept 
their  call,  hoping  I  might  live  to  prepare  the  way  for 
some  more  useful  successor  and  willing  to  expire  under 
the  fatigue  of  duty  rather  than  in  voluntary  negligence." 

Davies  took  with  him  to  Hanover  another  minister, 
his  friend  John  Rodgers.  The  council,  however,  said 
that  the  dissenters  of  Hanover  and  the  adjacent  coun- 
ties should  have  only  one  preacher.  They  refused  to 
issue  a  license  to  Rodgers  and  he  returned,  therefore, 
to  Pennsylvania. 

Davies  established  himself  at  a  point  in  Hanover 
County  about  twelve  miles  from  Richmond.  God's 
favor  was  bestowed  in  large  measure  upon  his  preaching 
there.  During  the  first  months  of  his  pastorate,  that  is 
in  the  summer  of  1748,  the  people  began  to  make  long 
journeys  to  hear  his  teachings.  Some  of  them  rode 
through  the  forests  twenty  miles,  some  forty  and  some 
even  sixty  miles,  to  attend  upon  his  ministry.  The  sec- 
ond wife  of  Davies  was  Jane  Holt,  of  Hanover,  who  aided 
him  with  counsel  and  sympathy  in  all  the  toilsome  work 
of  his  ministry. 


46  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

In  the  autumn  of  1748  Davies  presented  himself  again 
before  the  governor  and  council  in  Williamsburg.  He 
asked  permission  to  preach  at  three  additional  meeting- 
houses. The  attorney-general  of  the  colony  of  Vir- 
ginia, Peyton  Randolph,  spoke  against  the  granting  of 
this  request.  He  asserted  that  a  dissenting  minister 
ought  to  have  but  a  small  number  of  places  for  preach- 
ing; that  the  four  meeting  houses,  already  granted  to 
Davies,  were  enough  for  him. 

Davies  stood  up  before  the  council  and  spoke  for 
himself  and  for  his  people.  He  said  that  he  had  not  per- 
suaded the  people  of  Hanover  to  leave  the  Episcopal 
Church.  They  had  gone  out,  as  everybody  knew,  of 
their  own  free  will.  They  wished  preachers  of  their 
own  choosing.  According  to  the  Act  of  Toleration, 
which  had  been  adopted  as  a  Virginia  law,  they  had  a 
right  as  citizens  to  secure  license  for  as  many  preaching 
places  as  would  suit  their  own  convenience. 

Davies  showed  such  clear  knowledge  of  the  law  and 
he  spoke  with  so  much  reason  and  justice  that  a  smile 
went  around  among  the  members  of  the  council.  "Mr. 
Attorney-General  has  met  his  match  today,"  they  said 
one  to  another.  The  request  of  Davies  was  granted 
and  seven  places  of  preaching  were  assigned  to  him 
November  1,  1748.  Three  of  these  were  in  Hanover 
County,  one  in  Henrico,  one  in  Goochland,  one  in  Louisa 
and  one  in  Caroline.  The  charge  was  made  that  Davies 
was  thrusting  himself  among  the  people  who  were  al- 
ready members  of  the  established  Episcopal  Church. 
Davies  replied  to  this  charge  by  writing  a  long  letter 
to  the  Bishop  of  London  in  which  he  declared  that  he 
had  come  into  the  territory  occupied  by  the  Episcopal 
Church  only  because  of  the  urgent  invitation  given  him 
by  those  who  had  become  dissenters  and  who  refused  to 
attend  Episcopal  services.  He  told  the  bishop  that  the 
cause  of  this  dissent  within  the  Episcopal  fold  was  the 
unworthy  character  of  some  of  the  Episcopal  ministers 


Samuel  Davies  47 

who  had  been  sent  to  Virginia  from  England.  These 
men,  he  said,  entertained  their  hearers  "with  languid 
harangues  on  morality"  and  left  out  almost  entirely 
"the  glorious  doctrines  of  the  gospel."  Davies  wrote 
to  the  bishop  as  he  had  declared  to  the  governor's 
council  that,  under  the  Toleration  Act,  the  dissenters 
ought  to  be  permitted  to  worship  in  their  own  way 
wherever  it  pleased  them  to  assemble. 

For  eleven  years  Davies  preached  in  the  Hanover 
country,  making  journeys  meanwhile  to  other  parts  of 
the  colony,  and  thus  he  helped  to  lay  the  foundations  of 
the  Synod  of  Virginia. 

"He  seems  as  an  ambassador  of  some  mighty  king," 
said  one  who  was  watching  Davies.  The  latter 
went  about  his  work,  however,. in  a  quiet  and  humble 
manner.  Each  year  he  rode  upon  a  long  preaching 
tour.  He  usually  took  with  him  some  young  man  who 
rode  on  before  as  a  pioneer  to  find  a  place  of  lodging. 
As  Davies  belonged  to  the  New  Side  party,  he  was  called 
a  "New  Light"  preacher.  For  that  reason  some  of  the 
people  would  not  receive  him  into  their  houses.  During 
one  of  these  journeys,  his  companion  was  young  John 
Morton.  When  they  came  to  the  home  of  one  of  John's 
relatives,  known  as  Little  Joe  Morton,  the  latter  was  at 
work  in  a  field.  A  messenger  went  out  to  the  field  to  ask 
if  the  man  of  God  might  lodge  in  his  house.  He  gave 
consent  and  Davies  entered  the  home.  "And  with  him," 
we  are  told,  "Christ  and  salvation  came  to  that  house." 
The  two  heads  of  the  family  heard  Mr.  Davies  and 
became  Christians.  A  church  was  organized  there  and 
Little  Joe  Morton  became  the  first  elder.  When  they 
were  without  a  pastor,  he  called  the  people  together 
every  Sunday  and  read  them  a  sermon  and  then  ques- 
tioned the  children  from  the  Shorter  Catechism.  All 
of  Morton's  children  became  members  of  that  church 
and  many  of  his  descendants  became  ministers  of  the 
gospel.      The   name    of   the   church   thus    founded   by 


48  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

Davies  was  the  Briery  Congregation  in  what  is  now 
Prince  Edward  County. 

In  June,  1755,  Robert  Henry  was  established  as  pas- 
tor of  the  Briery  Church  and  of  Cub  Creek  Church  in 
the  present  Charlotte  County.  Henry  was  a  man  of  deep 
piety  and  had  a  great  fund  of  humor.  A  friend  said 
of  him  that  "he  required  grace  enough  for  two  common 
men  to  keep  him  in  order,  and  he  had  it."  When 
Henry  began  his  ministry  he  thought  that  he  ought 
to  write  his  sermons  and  read  them  from  the  pulpit. 
One  Sunday  morning,  therefore,  he  began  to  read  from 
a  written  paper  laid  on  the  open  Bible.  A  puff  of  wind 
came  and  blew  the  paper  away.  Henry  watched  it  as 
it  sailed  and  fell  at  the  feet  of  an  old  elder.  The 
latter  put  his  foot  upon  the  paper.  Henry  waited 
for  him  to  bring  it  back,  but  the  old  man  looked  up  as  if 
nothing  had  happened,  and  the  minister  finished  his 
sermon  as  well  as  he  was  able  to  do  so  without  notes. 
He  never  afterwards  took  a  manuscript  into  the  pulpit. 
We  are  told  that  he  often  spoke  in  a  very  loud  tone  of 
voice.  He  preached,  however,  with  great  spiritual 
power  and  his  churches  increased  rapidly  in  strength. 
Davies  rode  many  a  time  through  the  forest  to  speak  to 
Henry's  congregations  at  Cub  Creek  and  Briery. 

From  November,  1753,  until  February,  1755,  Davies 
was  absent  from  his  field  in  Virginia.  As  the  most 
gifted  preacher  in  the  American  Presbyterian  Church 
at  that  time,  he  was  asked  to  visit  the  towns  of  England 
to  ask  for  money  to  support  Princeton  College  in  New 
Jersey.  In  company  with  Gilbert  Tennent,  another 
minister,  he  made  the  journey  and  collected  a  large  sum 
of  money  for  the  college. 

In  making  this  journey  across  the  ocean,  Davies  was 
moved  also  with  the  desire  to  seek  relief  in  London  for 
the  Presbyterians  of  Virginia.  During  his  sojourn  in 
England  he  wrote  the  following  words  in  his  journal: 
"I  find,  by  conversation  with  Dr.   Stennet,  there  is  a 


Samuel  Davies  49 

prospect  of  obtaining  licenses  in  the  Bishop  of  London's 
Court  for  meeting  houses  in  Virginia." 

The  renown  of  Davies  as  a  preacher  drew  together 
large  congregations  in  England  and  Scotland  to  hear 
him.  According  to  tradition,  the  King  of  England, 
George  the  Second,  attended  one  of  his  public  serv- 
ices and  expressed  in  loud  tones  to  those  near  his 
royal  person  his  satisfaction  at  hearing  and  seeing  the 
dissenting  minister.  Dr.  Davies  interpreted  this  conduct 
as  irreverence  in  the  Lord's  house.  He,  therefore, 
paused  and  looking  at  the  King,  said:  "When  the  lion 
roars  the  beasts  of  the  forest  all  tremble;  when  King 
Jesus  speaks,  the  princes  of  the  earth  should  keep 
silence."  The  King  kept  quiet,  it  is  said,  his  respect 
and  admiration  for  the  minister  being  largely  increased 
by  the  boldness  of  Davies.  Friends  in  England  gave 
Davies  a  gold  ring  and  a  gold-headed  cane.  We  are  told 
that  he  carried  these  with  him  during  his  later  journeys 
among  the  hills  and  mountains  of  Virginia. 

When  Davies  came  again  to  Virginia,  the  red  cloud 
of  war  was  hanging  over  the  western  frontier.  Colonel 
George  Washington  as  the  leader  of  the  Virginia  rifle- 
men was  defending  the  settlers  against  the  attacks  made 
by  the  French  and  the  Indians.  Early  in  July,  1755, 
an  English  army,  led  by  General  Braddock,  sent  to  help 
the  colonists,  was  defeated  near  the  present  city  of 
Pittsburg.  The  western  borders  of  Virginia  were  thus 
left  open  to  the  attacks  of  the  red  men.  Some  of  the 
settlers  left  their  homes  in  the  mountains  and  sought 
safety  in  other  places.  In  this  time  of  great  fear, 
Davies  called  upon  his  people  to  stand  their  ground. 
In  his  church  in  Hanover  on  the  25th  of  July,  1755,  he 
spoke  as  follows : — 

"Let  me  earnestly  recommend  to  you  to  furnish  your- 
selves with  arms  and  put  yourselves  into  a  position  of 
defence.  What  is  that  religion  good  for  that  leaves  men 
cowards  on  the  appearance  of  danger.'*    And  permit  me 


50  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

to  say  that  I  am  particularly  solicitous  that  you,  my 
brethren  of  the  dissenters,  should  act  with  honor  and 
spirit  in  this  juncture,  as  it  becomes  loyal  subjects, 
lovers  of  your  country,  and  courageous  Christians. 
*^*#****j£j  consulted  either  my 
safety  or  my  temporal  interests,  I  should  soon  remove 
my  family  to  Great  Britain  or  the  northern  col- 
onies, where  I  have  received  very  inviting  oflPers.  *  * 
*  *  *  *  and  yet  I  must  declare  that  after  the 
most  calm  and  impartial  deliberation,  I  am  determined 
not  to  leave  my  country  while  there  is  any  prospect  of 
defending  it.  Certainly  he  does  not  deserve  a  place  in 
any  country  who  is  ready  to  run  from  it  upon  every 
appearance  of  danger.  The  event  of  the  war  is  yet  un- 
certain ;  but  let  us  determine  that  if  the  cause  should 
require  it,  we  will  courageously  leave  house  and  home 
and  take  the  field." 

A  voluntary  company  of  riflemen  was  at  once  raised 
in  Hanover  by  Captain  Overton.  To  this  company, 
on  the  17th  of  August,  Davies  preached  a  stirring  ser- 
mon from  the  text,  "Be  of  good  courage  and  let  us 
play  the  men  for  our  people."  On  that  occasion  Davies 
said :  "I  may  point  out  to  the  public  that  heroic  youth. 
Colonel  Washington,  whom  I  cannot  but  hope  Provi- 
dence has  hitherto  preserved  in  so  signal  a  manner  for 
some  important  service." 

About  three  years  later  (May  8,  1758),  a  general 
muster  of  the  men  of  Hanover  was  held  for  the  purpose 
of  raising  a  company  for  Captain  Meredith.  The 
French  and  Indian  war  was  still  raging  and  soldiers 
were  needed  in  the  field.  Davies  preached  another  great 
war  sermon. 

"May  I  not  reasonably  insist  upon  it,"  he  said,  "that 
the  company  be  made  up  this  very  day  before  we  leave 
this  place.  Methinks  your  king,  your  country,  nay  your 
own  interest  command  me:  and,  therefore,  I  insist  upon 
it.     Oh!  for  the  all  pervading  force  of  Demosthenes' 


Samuel  Davies  51 

oratory — but  I  recall  my  wish  that  I  may  correct  it — 
Oh !  for  the  influence  of  the  Lord  of  armies,  the  God 
of  battles,  the  author  of  true  courage  and  every  heroic 
virtue,  to  fire  you  into  patriotic  and  true  soldiers  this 
moment,  ye  young  and  hardy  men,  whose  very  faCes 
seem  to  speak  that  God  and  nature  formed  you  for 
soldiers."  He  closed  his  discourse  with  these  words : 
"Ye  that  love  your  country  enlist ;  for  honor  will  follow 
you  in  life  or  death  in  such  a  cause.  Ye  that  love  your 
religion,  enlist;  for  your  religion  is  in  danger.  Can 
Protestant  Christianity  expect  quarter  from  heathen 
savages  and  French  Papists  ?  Sure  in  such  an  alliance, 
the  powers  of  hell  make  a  third  party.  Ye  that  love 
your  friends  and  relations,  enlist;  lest  ye  see  them  en- 
slaved and  butchered  before  your  eyes." 

When  Davies  had  finished  the  address.  Captain  Mere- 
dith's company  was  made  up  within  a  few  minutes.  Soon 
afterwards  the  war  against  the  French  came  to  an  end 
with  Washington's  seizure  of  a  fort  that  stood  on  the 
site  of  the  present  city  of  Pittsburg  and  with  the  cap- 
ture of  Quebec.  During  the  progress  of  the  struggle, 
the  war  sermons  of  Davies  had  persuaded  more  men  to 
enter  the  field  as  soldiers  than  any  other  agency  used. 
This  settled  once  for  all  the  question  as  to  whether  the 
Presbyterians  should  be  allowed  to  worship  as  they 
pleased.  Since  they  were  standing  with  rifles  in  their 
hands  to  defend  the  entire  western  frontier  of  the  colony 
of  Virginia  against  savage  foes,  their  ministers  were  al- 
lowed to  preach  the  gospel  whenever  they  could  call  to- 
gether a  group  of  the  settlers.  The  Toleration  Act  was 
from  that  time  interpreted  in  the  most  liberal  manner 
with  reference  to  public  worship  offered  by  the  Presby- 
terians, and  they  established  churches  wherever  they 
pleased  without  asking  permission  from  the  county 
courts. 

On  December  3,  1755,  a  group  of  ministers 
and  elders   met   in  the  church   of  Davies   in   Hanover 


52  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

County,  Virginia.  They  were  the  following:  Samuel 
Davies,  of  Hanover  Church;  Robert  Henry,  pastor  of 
Cub  Creek  Church  in  the  present  Charlotte  County  and 
of  Briery  Church  in  the  present  Prince  Edward;  John 
BroAvn,  of  Timber  Ridge  and  New  Providence  churches 
in  the  present  Rockbridge  County ;  and  John  Todd,  as- 
sistant to  Mr.  Davies  and  pastor  in  Louisa  County. 
With  these  ministers  sat  the  following  elders :  Samuel 
Morris,  Alexander  Joice,  John  Molley.  Prayer  was 
offered  constituting  these  as  the  Presbytery  of  Han- 
over, in  connection  with  the  New  Side  Synod  of  New 
York.  By  the  previous  appointment  of  the  Synod,  Sam- 
uel Davies  was  moderator.  The  latter,  being  sick,  asked 
John  Todd  to  preach  for  him.  Todd,  therefore,  began 
the  formal  work  of  the  Presbytery  with  a  sermon.  Two 
ministers  appointed  by  the  Synod  as  original  members 
of  the  Presbytery  were  not  present  at  this,  the  first 
meeting.  These  were  Alexander  Craighead,  pastor  of 
Windy  Cove  Church  in  Augusta  County,  and  John 
Wright,  pastor  of  the  church  in  Cumberland  County, 
near  the  present  town  of  Farmville.  The  first  act  of 
the  Presbytery  was  to  appoint  the  first  day  of  January, 
1756,  as  a  day  of  prayer  and  fasting.  This  was  done 
in  obedience  to  a  recommendation  made  by  the  Synod. 
The  last  act  of  Presbytery  before  adjournment  was  to 
appoint  another  day  of  prayer  and  fasting  during  the 
following  month  of  June.  The  reasons  given  for  these 
appointments  were  the  danger  of  the  people  from  savage 
warfare  and  a  desire  for  God's  blessing  upon  the  preach- 
ing of  his  word. 

The  members  of  this  Presbytery  represented  the 
Presbyterian  population  of  the  western  parts  of  the 
present  States  of  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  and  South 
Carolina,  and  the  States  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee. 
Nearly  all  of  the  people  who  dwelt  in  that  vast  region 
were  Scots  from  Ireland.  They  worshipped  according  to 
the   manner   of  their   Scotch   fathers.      The   formation 


Samuel  Davies  53 

of  this  Presbytery  was  in  itself  the  putting  forward  of 
the  claim  that  civil  government  and  church  government 
are  entirely  separate  and  distinct.  In  offering  worship 
to  God,  men  must  be  left  free  to  use  any  method  that 
suits  them.  This  was  the  position  taken  by  Davies  and 
his  associates.  Religious  freedom  was,  by  them,  made 
the  basis  of  freedom  in  civil  government.  Since  these 
men  were  at  the  same  time  fighting  the  battles  of  their 
country  they  were  allowed  to  enjoy  in  peace  the  full 
right  to  worship  as  they  pleased. 

In  1758  the  New  Side  and  Old  Side  Presbyterians 
agreed  to  lay  aside  their  differences  and  to  come  together 
as  brethren.  The  Synod  of  New  York  and  the  Synod  of 
Philadelphia  were  united  under  the  name  of  the  Synod 
of  New  York  and  Philadelphia.  In  that  same  year, 
1758,  President  Burr  of  Princeton  College  passed  away, 
and  the  trustees  asked  Samuel  Davies  to  become  presi- 
dent. Davies  said  that  he  must  remain  in  his  Virginia 
field  and  declined  the  election.  A  second  and  a  third 
time  they  offered  him  the  presidency,  but  still  he  refused. 
When  the  trustees  for  the  fourth  time  selected  him, 
Davies  yielded  and  in  July,  1759,  he  entered  upon  his 
new  work  at  Princeton.  Within  less  than  two  years 
afterwards,  that  is  on  February  4,  1761,  a  fever  car- 
ried away  this  man  of  God.  He  was  only  in  his  38th 
year  when  he  died.  His  aged  mother  came  to  look 
upon  him  as  he  lay  in  the  casket.  "There  is  the  son  of 
prayers  and  my  hopes,"  she  said,  "my  only  son,  my 
only  earthly  supporter.  But  there  is  the  will  of  God, 
and  I  am  satisfied." 

Samuel  Davies,  a  prince  among  early  American 
preachers,  was  trained  for  his  work,  in  part,  by  a  life 
in  the  wilderness.  Like  an  ancient  Hebrew  prophet  he 
rode  from  house  to  house  among  the  settlers  in  the 
Virginia  forests.  "This  has  been  a  busy  summer  with 
me,"  he  wrote  once  to  a  friend.  "In  about  two  months 
I  rode  about  five  hundred  miles   and  preached  about 


54  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

forty  sermons."  In  July,  1756,  Davies  wrote  these 
words: — "About  a  month  ago,  I  took  a  journey  to  Mr. 
Henry's  congregation  *  *  *  *^  about  120  miles 
hence,  to  assist  him  in  administering  the  sacrament,  and 
in  thirteen  days  I  preached  11  or  12  sermons,  with 
encouraging  appearance  of  success.  I  think  Mr.  Henry 
and  Mr.  Wright's  labors  continue  to  be  blessed  in  those 
parts.  At  the  sacrament  in  that  wilderness,  there  were 
about  2000  hearers  and  about  200  communicants,  and  a 
general  seriousness  and  attention  appeared  among 
them." 

Da\'ies  prepared  each  sermon  beforehand  with  great 
care.  He  studied  the  character  of  the  people  to  whom 
he  preached  and  he  had  in  his  mind  in  the  clearest 
outline  the  purpose  for  which  he  preached.  "Every 
sermon  I  think  worthy  of  the  name  cost  me  four  days' 
hard  study  in  the  preparation,"  he  said.  The  ser- 
mons were  all  carefully  written  and  carried  to  the  pul- 
pit. Sometimes  he  read  them  to  the  people;  sometimes 
he  preached  without  reading.  The  strength  of  his 
sympathy  was  great.  He  convinced  men  concerning  the 
truth  of  his  message  and  thus  by  reason  of  the  fire  en- 
kindled in  his  own  great  heart  he  moved  his  hearers  to 
believe  and  act  with  him. 

Davies  gave  a  large  share  of  his  attention  to  the 
negro  slaves  who  lived  in  the  homes  of  the  people  of  his 
congregation.  About  three  hundred  of  them  regularly 
attended  his  preaching,  he  tells  us.  About  one  hundred 
of  these  he  baptized,  after  having  instructed  them.  "My 
ministry  of  late  has  been  most  successful  among  them," 
he  wrote  in  March,  1756.  "Two  Sundays  ago  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  forty  of  their  black  faces  around 
the  table  of  the  Lord,  who  all  made  credible  profes- 
sion of  Christianity,  and  sundry  of  them  with  unusual 
evidence  of  sincerity."  Friends  in  England  sent  Bibles 
and  Watts'  Hymns  to  Davies,  and  he  gave  them  to 
those  negroes  that  could  read  them.     Many  of  the  Af- 


Samuel  Davies  56 

ricans  spent  their  leisure  hours  in  learning  how  to  read 
in  order  that  they  might  secure  the  books  from  Mr. 
Davies.  In  the  church  at  Cub  Creek,  of  which  Mr. 
Henry  was  pastor,  there  were  about  one  hundred  negro 
members. 

Of  great  importance  in  the  work  of  Samuel  Davies 
was  the  bringing  of  other  ministers  into  the  southern 
colonies.  Among  these  were  John  Wright,  Henry  Pat- 
tillo,  John  Martin,  William  Richardson,  James  Waddell, 
and  James  Hunt.  We  shall  hear  again  concerning 
these  preachers. 

Davies  also  helped  to  build  up  church  schools  in  his 
congregations  and  elsewhere.  John  Todd,  his  assist- 
ant, was  for  many  years  the  head  of  a  classical  school 
in  Louisa  County,  Virginia.  James  Hunt  had  charge 
of  an  academy  near  Rockville,  in  Maryland. 

We  must  not  forget,  however,  that  the  churches  of 
Davies  were  themselves  great  schools.  The  instruction 
of  the  people  was  the  chief  work  which  this  minister  laid 
upon  himself.  Wherever  he  spent  the  night  during  his 
many  long  journeys  among  the  people,  in  that  house  he 
either  preached  a  sermon  or  explained  some  portion  of 
the  word  of  God  for  the  benefit  of  the  family.  All  of 
the  members  of  his  churches  were  trained  to  recite  the 
Shorter  Catechism.  Dr.  John  H.  Rice  tells  us  that 
during  the  week  the  people  of  Samuel  Davies  gave  much 
time  to  study  in  preparation  for  the  following  Sunday. 
"A  mother  might  often  be  seen  rocking  her  infant  in  a 
cradle,  sewing  some  garment  for  her  husband,  and 
learning  her  catechism  at  the  same  time.  A  girl  em- 
ployed in  spinning  would  place  her  book  of  questions 
at  the  head  of  the  wheel,  and  catching  a  glance  at  it 
as  she  ran  up  her  yarn  on  the  spindle,  would  thus  pre- 
pare for  public  catechising;  and  the  boys,  who  were  ac- 
customed to  follow  the  plow,  were  often  to  be  seen, 
while  their  horses  were  feeding  at  mid-day,  reclining 
under   an   old  oak  in   the  yard,   learning   the   weekly 


56  Southern  Preshyterian  Leaders 

task.  Young  and  old  were  willing  to  be  taught  by  £heir 
preacher."  Then  on  the  Lord's  day,  in  the  church,  as 
a  part  of  the  public  religious  services,  the  minister  asked 
questions  from  the  catechism.  The  elders  of  the  church 
and  heads  of  families  were  always  questioned  first; 
then  the  younger  members  and  the  servants.  This 
exercise  was  never  brief,  but  always  thorough.  Then 
Mr.  Davies  from  the  pulpit  pleaded  with  his  people  to 
give  their  hearts  to  their  Saviour  and  to  dwell  together 
in  all  godliness  and  honesty.  In  almost  every  family, 
moreover,  a  number  of  helpful  books  were  read  and 
studied  under  the  pastor's  care.  Among  these  books 
were  Luther's  commentary  on  Galatians,  Boston's 
Fourfold  State,  and  the  works  of  Baxter,  Flavel  and 
Watson.  Strong  and  worthy  men  and  women  were 
thus  trained  in  the  Virginia  churches  under  the  instruc- 
tion of  Samuel  Davies.  The  harvest  gave  full  evidence 
to  the  wisdom  of  the  planting.  These  people  and  their 
children  have  continued,  even  unto  this  day,  to  do  much 
for  their  church,  for  their  country,  and  for  their  God. 

During  the  eleven  years  of  the  ministry  of  Davies  in 
Hanover,  Patrick  Henry  was  growing  up  from  youth 
to  manhood  in  that  county.  Henry  often  attende'd  the 
Hanover  Church  and  heard  Mr.  Davies  preach,  for  his 
mother  was  a  member  of  the  latter's  congregation.  He 
afterwards  said  that  Davies  was  the  greatest  orator 
that  he  ever  heard.  From  this  minister  Henry  learned 
how  to  speak  in  public.  He  learned,  also,  from  Davies, 
those  great  principles  of  church  government  and  civil 
government  which  he  afterwards  set  forth  in  burning 
words.  The  call  to  arms  spoken  by  Davies  during  the 
French  and  Indian  War,  was  repeated  again  and  again 
by  Patrick  Henry  in  the  opening  years  of  the  Ameri- 
can Revolution. 

"I  am  laboring  to  do  a  little  to  save  my  country,  and, 
which  is  of  much  more  consequence,  to  save  souls  from 
death,  from  that  tremendous  kind  of  death  which  a  soul 


Samuel  Davies  57 

can  die."  Thus  wrote  Samuel  Davies  on  one  occasion 
to  a  friend.  With  reference  to  the  possible  close  of  his 
own  activities  here  on  earth,  he  said: 

"Pormerly  I  have  wished  to  live  longer  that  I  might 
be  better  prepared  for  heaven;  but  ***** 
after  long  trial  I  found  this  world  a  place  so  unfriendly 
to  the  growth  of  everything  divine  and  heavenly,  that  I 
was  afraid  if  I  should  live  any  longer,  I  should  be  no 
better  fitted  for  heaven  than  I  am.  ****** 
Oh !  my  good  Master,  if  I  may  dare  call  thee  so,  I  am 
afraid  I  shall  never  serve  thee  much  better  on  this  side 
the  regions  of  perfection.  The  thought  grieves  me;  it 
breaks  my  heart,  but  I  can  hardly  hope  better.  But  if 
I  have  the  least  spark  of  true  piety  in  my  heart,  I  shall 
not  always  labor  under  this  complaint.  No,  my  Lord, 
I  shall  yet  serve  thee;  serve  thee  through  an  immortal 
duration,  with  the  activity,  the  fervor,  the  perfection 
of  the  rapt  seraph  that  adores  and  burns." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

DAVID    RICE    AND    JAMES    WADDELL    IN      THE      NORTHERN 
AND  WESTERN   PARTS  OF  VIRGINIA. 

After  the  death  of  Samuel  Davies,  one  of  his  pupils, 
David  Rice,  undertood  the  work  in  the  Hanover  field. 
Rice  was  born  in  Hanover  County,  Virginia,  of  Welsh 
parentage,  and  he  became  a  Christian  under  the  influ- 
ence of  the  preaching  of  Davies.  At  the  age  of  twenty 
he  entered  the  liatin  and  Greek  school  in  Louisa  County, 
whose  principal  was  John  Todd,  pastor  of  the  church. 
James  Waddell  assisted  in  the  work  of  teaching  in  this 
school.  Rice  completed  his  course  of  study  at  Prince- 
ton College  about  the  time  when  Davies  died  (1761). 
His  theological  training  for  the  work  of  preaching  was 
received  under  the  instruction  of  John  Todd.  In  the 
latter  part  of  the  year  1763  Rice  was  ordained  and  es- 
tablished as  pastor  of  the  Hanover  Church. 

Many  of  the  people  who  were  then  living  in  Hanover 
County  began,  soon  after  the  coming  of  Rice,  to  seek 
homes  in  the  frontier  regions  of  Virginia  and  North  Car- 
olina. Churches  were  built  up  and  made  strong  in  the 
places  last  named,  through  the  arrival  of  multitudes  of 
men,  women  and  children  who  had  received  their  Chris- 
tian training  under  Davies.  The  church  in  Hanover, 
however,  grew  weak  through  the  departure  of  its  mem- 
bers. In  1767  Rice  himself  became  pastor  of  a  congre- 
gation in  Bedford  County,  Virginia.  There  he  continued 
to  labor  in  all  faithfulness  throughout  the  period  of  the 
Revolution.  His  field  of  work  lay  near  the  foot  of  the  two 
great  mountains  known  as  the  Peaks  of  Otter.  After 
the  Revolution  (1788)  we  shall  find  him  riding  through 

58 


JAMES  WADDELL 


Facing  page  5S 


David  Rice  and  James  Waddell  59 

the  forests  into  the  western  country,  there  to  become 
known  as  "Father  Rice"  and  as  the  "Patriarch  of  the 
Kentucky  Presbyterian  Church."  When  Rice  left 
Hanover,  the  principal  preachers  that  were  left  among 
the  Presbyterians  east  of  the  Blue  Ridge  were  John 
Todd  and  Robert  Henry. 

James  Waddell,  the  young  assistant  in  John  Todd's 
school  in  Louisa  County,  was  born  at  Newry,  North 
Ireland,  in  1739.  His  early  years  were  spent  with  his 
Scotch  parents  in  the  colony  of  Pennsylvania.  A  severe 
injury  to  one  of  his  hands  caused  the  hand  to  wither 
and  thus  rendered  him  incapable  of  working  in  the  field. 
His  parents,  therefore,  sent  him  to  Samuel  Finley's 
classical  school  at  Nottingham,  Maryland.  Young  Wad- 
dell made  such  progress  in  the  study  of  Greek  and 
Latin  that  he  was  made  assistant  in  Finley's  school. 

As  a  young  lad,  after  the  withering  of  his  hand,  we 
are  told  that  Waddell  often  had  a  great  desire  to  see 
Christ  again  on  earth,  in  order  that  he  might  ask  the 
Master  to  heal  his  hand.  The  hand  was  not  healed,  but 
the  Spirit  of  the  Master  touched  Waddell's  heart  and 
led  him  to  form  the  purpose  of  preaching  His  gospel. 

One  day,  not  long  before  the  close  of  the  ministry  of 
Samuel  Davies  in  Virginia,  a  tall,  graceful  young  man 
of  about  nineteen  years,  appeared  at  his  home  in  Hano- 
ver. The  young  man  was  seeking  for  a  position  to 
teach  school  in  order  to  support  himself  through  a 
further  course  of  study  with  a  view  to  the  university. 
When  Davies  looked  upon  the  fair,  open  countenance  of 
the  youth,  James  Waddell,  his  heart  went  out  to  him. 
He  took  Waddell  to  Louisa  County  and  established  him 
there  as  John  Todd's  assistant  in  the  Greek  and  Latin 
class-room.  At  the  same  time  Todd  Began  to  guide 
Waddell  along  the  pathway  of  preparation  leading  to 
the  sacred  ministry.  Li  that  academy  in  the  forest, 
John  Todd  trained  him  in  the  Latin,  Greek  and  He- 
brew languages,  and  in  "the  sciences  of  rhetoric,  logic. 


60  Southern  Freshyterian  Leaders 

ontology,  moral  and  natural  philosophy  and  astron- 
omy." On  these  subjects  he  was  examined  by  the  Han- 
over Presbytery  and  "on  sundry  branches  of  learning" 
in  addition.  His  examination  embraced  "divinity,"  or 
theology,  also.  He  wrote  a  thesis  in  Latin  and  an 
exegesis  of  a  portion  of  the  Greek  text  of  one  of  Paul's 
epistles ;  he  delivered  a  popular  lecture,  preached  a  ser- 
mon and  was  authorized  by  the  presbytery  to  try  his 
gifts  in  the  churches.  This  was  done  at  the  Tinkling 
Spring  Church  in  1761.  In  the  autumn  of  the  following 
year,  Waddell  was  established  as  pastor  of  the  churches 
in  the  counties  of  Lancaster  and  Northumberland,  which 
constitute  the  lower  part  of  the  region  known  as  the 
Northern  Neck  of  Virginia. 

In  that  land  between  the  lower  Potomac  and  Rappa- 
hannock rivers,  Waddell  found  the  Episcopal  Church 
firmly  established.     Some  Scots,  however,  had  recently 
come  to  that  country  and  with  the  assistance  of  certain 
citizens  who  left  the  Episcopal  Church,  they  organized 
a  Presbyterian  congregation.     Among  these  Scots  were 
Colonel  James  Gordon  and  his  brother  John.     For  a 
number  of  years  Colonel  Gordon  kept  a  journal  in  which 
we  find  a  picture  given  of  the  life  in  the  homes  of  the 
dissenters.      The   Episcopal  preachers    spent   much   of 
their  time  in  the  pulpit  in  casting  scorn  and  ridicule 
upon  dissenters.     This  course  angered  Gordon  and  his 
friends  and  they  often  remained  at  home  on  Sunday  and 
taught  their  children  the  Westminster  Catechisms.  "May 
the  Lord  be  praised,"  writes  Gordon  on  a  certain  Sun- 
day in  April,  1762,  "I  at  last  have  had  the  comfort  of 
going  with  my  wife  and  family  to  meeting  where  Mr. 
Waddell  performed  to  admiration."     One   Sunday,    a 
year    later,    Waddell    administered    the    sacrament    to 
ninety  white  persons  and  twenty-three  colored  people. 
The  next  day,  Monday,  all  of  the  people  were  assembled 
at  church  and  the  boys  and  girls  recited  the  catechism. 
One  young  girl  in  the  congregation  "said  all  the  Larger 


David  Rice  and  James  Waddell  61 

Catechism  and  all  the  Shorter."  When  Dr.  Waddell 
stood  in  the  pulpit,  he  was  very  graphic  in  his  descrip- 
tion of  Biblical  scenes.  An  old  gentleman  of  Lancaster 
County  who  as  a  youth  was  a  member  of  Waddell's  con- 
gregation, used  to  speak  of  the  wonderful  impression 
made  upon  his  heart  by  the  minister's  sermons.  "The 
brazen  serpent  raised  in  the  wilderness  as  an  emblem  of 
Christ,  won  his  heart;  it  seemed  to  him  that  like  a 
wounded  Israelite  he  saw  the  serpent — and  as  a  sinner 
he  saw  Christ  crucified  for  sin." 

One  day  when  a  number  of  sailors  were  present  in  the 
church,  Dr.  Waddell  preached  from  the  words,  "Simon, 
son  of  Jonah,  lovest  thou  me?"  Some  of  the  sailors 
were  moved  to  tears  by  the  appeals  of  the  preacher. 
At  one  point  in  his  discourse.  Dr.  Waddell  repeated  the 
question,  'And  what  does  Peter  say?'  Then  an  old 
sailor,  whose  name  was  Peter,  arose  from  his  seat  in  the 
congregation  and  with  tears  streaming  down  his  cheeks, 
made  the  answer,  "Lord,  thou  knowest  all  things ;  thou 
knowest  that  I  love  thee." 

James  Waddell  married  Mary,  the  daughter  of  Col- 
onel Gordon.  After  many  years  of  pleasant  toil  in  the 
Northern  Neck,  Waddell  took  his  family  to  the  Valley 
of  Virginia,  where  he  became  pastor  of  the  Tinkling 
Spring  Church  in  Augusta  (1778).  There  we  shall  see 
him  during  the  Revolution  preaching  a  sermon  to  the 
Valley  men  as  they  were  on  their  way  to  the  battlefield 
of  Guilford  Court  House  in  North  Carolina.  After- 
wards, a  part  of  his  time  as  pastor  was  given  to  the 
church  in  Staunton. 

We  are  told  that,  at  that  time.  Dr.  Waddell  was  tall 
and  spare;  that  he  "had  a  long  visage,  his  forehead 
being  high,  his  nose  and  chin  long,  his  face  thin,  his 
eyes  a  light  blue  and  his  complexion  fair.  He  wore  long 
white  top  boots,  small  clothes  buckled  at  the  knee,  a 
long,  loose,  strait-bodied  coat  and  a  white  wig.  He  was 
seldom  vehement  in  delivery;  often  excited,  never  bois- 


62  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

terous ;  often  deeply  pathetic  in  tone  and  manner, — 
very  courtly  in  his  manners — and  used  much  gesture 
with  both  hands." 

An  old  man  who  had  a  strong  love  for  money  was 
in  the  habit  of  listening  to  Dr.  Waddell's  sermons  at 
Tinkling  Spring.  The  old  miser,  in  speaking  about  a 
certain  one  of  his  discourses,  the  theme  of  which  was  the 
love  of  God,  said  this :  "The  snow  flakes  had  been  fall- 
ing pretty  freely  a»round  the  house,  but  had  anyone  told 
me  that  guineas  lay  as  thick  as  the  snow  flakes,  I  could 
not  have  gone  out  to  gather  any  till  he  was  done." 

In  1785  Waddell  removed  his  family  again  to  the 
eastern  side  of  the  Blue  Ridge  and  established  his  home 
in  Louisa  County  near  Gordonsville.  He  preached  to 
the  people  of  that  region,  in  three  or  four  churches,  or 
chapels,  and  kept  up  a  classical  school  in  his  own 
house,  which  was  called  Belle  Grove.  Blindness  grad- 
ually came  upon  Dr.  Waddell,  but  his  children  read  the 
Bible  to  him  and  he  continued  to  preach  until  his  death 
in  1805. 

One  Sunday,  William  Wirt,  a  Virginia  lawyer  who 
became  afterwards  attorney-general  of  the  United 
States,  heard  Dr.  Waddell  preach  in  an  old  wooden 
church  in  the  forest  not  far  from  Waddell's  home  near 
Gordonsville.  "In  entering,"  says  Wirt,  "I  was  struck 
with  his  preternatural  appearance;  he  was  a  tall  and 
very  spare  old  man ;  his  head,  which  was  covered  with  a 
white  linen  cap,  his  shriveled  hands,  and  his  voice,  were 
all  shaking  under  the  influence  of  a  palsy;  and  a  few 
moments  ascertained  to  me  that  he  was  perfectly  blind. 

"The  first  emotions  which  touched  my  breast  were 
those  of  mingled  pity  and  veneration.  But  ah !  how  soon 
were  all  my  feelings  changed !  The  lips  of  Plato  were 
never  more  worthy  of  a  prognostic  swarm  of  bees  than 
were  the  lips  of  this  holy  man.  It  was  a  day  of  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  sacrament;  and  his  subject,  of  course, 
was  the  passion  of  our  Saviour.     I  had  heard  the  sub- 


David  Rice  and  James  Waddell  63 

ject  handled  a  thousand  times — I  had  thought  it  cx- 
liausted  long  ago.  Little  did  I  suppose  that  in  the  wild 
woods  of  America  I  was  to  meet  with  a  man  whose  elo- 
quence would  give  to  this  topic  a  new  and  more  sub- 
lime pathos  than  I  had  ever  before  witnessed. 

"As  he  descended  from  the  pulpit  to  distribute  the 
mj^stic  symbols,  there  was  a  peculiar,  a  more  than 
human  solemnity  in  his  air  and  manner  which  made  my 
blood  run  cold  and  my  whole  frame  shiver. 

"He  then  drew  a  picture  of  the  sufferings  of  our 
Saviour ;  his  trial  before  Pilate ;  his  ascent  up  Calvary ; 
his  crucifixion,  and  his  death.  I  knew  the  whole  history ; 
but  never,  till  then,  had  I  heard  the  circumstances  so 
selected,  so  arranged,  so  colored.  It  was  all  new,  and 
I  seemed  to  have  heard  it  for  the  first  time  in  my  life. 
His  enumeration  was  so  deliberate  that  his  voice  trem- 
bled on  every  syllable ;  every  heart  in  the  assembly  trem- 
bled in  unison.  His  peculiar  phrases  had  that  force  of 
description  that  the  original  scene  appeared  to  be,  at 
that  moment,  acting  before  our  eyes.  We  saw  the  very 
faces  of  the  Jews ;  the  staring,  frightful  distortions  of 
malice  and  rage.  We  saw  the  buffeting;  my  soul  kindled 
with  a  flame  of  indignation,  and  my  hands  were  involun- 
tarily and  convulsively  clenched. 

"But  when  he  came  to  touch  on  the  patience,  the  for- 
giving meekness  of  our  Saviour;  when  he  drew  to  the 
life  his  blessed  eyes  streaming  in  tears  to  heaven,  his 
voice  breathing  to  God  a  soft  and  gentle  prayer  of 
pardon  on  his  enemies,  'Father,  forgive  them,  for  they 
know  not  what  they  do,' — the  voice  of  the  preacher, 
which  had  all  along  faltered,  grew  fainter  and  fainter, 
until  his  utterance  being  entirely  obstructed  by  the 
force  of  his  feelings,  he  raised  his  handkerchief  to  his 
eyes  and  burst  into  a  loud  and  impressive  flood  of 
grief.  The  effect  is  inconceivable.  The  whole  house 
resounded  with  the  mingled  groans  and  sobs  and 
shrieks   of   the   congregation. 


64  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

"It  was  some  time  before  the  tumult  had  subsided  so 
far  as  to  permit  him  to  proceed.  Indeed,  judging  by 
the  usual  but  fallacious  standard  of  my  own  weakness, 
I  began  to  be  very  uneasy  for  the  situation  of  the 
preacher.  For  I  could  not  conceive  how  he  would  be  able 
to  let  his  audience  down  from  the  height  to  which  he 
had  wound  them,  without  impairing  the  solemnity  and 
dignity  of  his  subject,  or  perhaps  shocking  them  by  the 
abruptness  of  the  fall.  But — no ;  the  descent  was  as 
beautiful  and  sublime  as  the  elevation  had  been  rapid 
and  enthusiastic. 

"The  first  sentence  with  which  he  broke  the  awful 
silence  was  a  quotation  from  Rousseau, — 'Socrates  died 
like  a  philosopher,  but  Jesus  Christ  like  a  God.' 

"I  despair  of  giving  you  any  idea  of  the  effect  pro- 
duced by  this  short  sentence,  unless  you  could  perfectly 
conceive  the  whole  manner  of  the  man  as  well  as  the 
peculiar  crisis  in  the  discourse.  *****  jf 
he  had  been  indeed  and  in  truth  an  angel  of  light,  the 
effect  could  hardly  have  been  more  divine.  *  *  *  * 
I  have  never  seen  in  any  orator  such  a  union  of  simplic- 
ity and  majesty.  He  has  not  a  gesture,  an  attitude  or 
an  accent  to  which  he  does  not  seem  forced  by  the  sen- 
timent which  he  is  expressing.  His  mind  is  too  serious, 
too  earnest,  too  solicitous  and,  at  the  same  time,  too 
dignified  to  stoop  to  artifice.  Although  as  far  removed 
from  ostentation  as  a  man  can  be,  yet  it  is  clear  from  the 
train,  the  style  and  substance  of  his  thoughts  that  he 
is  not  only  a  very  polite  scholar,  but  a  man  of  extensive 
and  very  profound  erudition.      *****" 


CHAPTER  X. 

HUGH    m'aDEN's    journey    THROUGH    VIRGINIA    AND    THE 
CAROLINAS. 

On  Monday,  June  16,  1755,  a  young  minister  rode  on 
horseback  across  the  upper  Potomac  River  and  entered 
Virginia.  His  name  was  Hugh  McAden.  His  father 
and  mother  were  Scots  from  Ireland,  but  Hugh  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  received  his  education  at  Nassau 
Hall,  afterwards  known  as  Princeton  College.  In  1755 
he  was  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel  and  was  at  once  sent 
by  New  Castle  Presbytery  as  an  evangelist  into  the  coun- 
try south  of  the  Potomac.  Let  us  follow  him  as  he  rode 
from  house  to  house  and  from  church  to  church  among 
the  Presbyterian  people  of  Virgina  and  the  Carolinas. 
The  journal  in  which  McAden  wrote  the  story  of  each 
day's  travel  and  work  will  be  our  chief  guide. 

On  Tuesday,  June  17,  McAden  mounted  his  horse 
about  12  o'clock  and  rode  up  the  Valley  of  Virginia. 
At  the  end  of  a  journey  of  forty  miles  he  reached  a 
small  group  of  houses  known  as  the  town  of  Winchester. 
The  next  morning  McAden  rode  three  miles  to  the  meet- 
ing-house at  Opecquon  and  was  kindly  received  by 
Robert  Wilson,  whose  house  stood  near  the  church.  The 
day  was  spent  there  in  company  with  John  Hoge,  who 
had  come  the  year  before  (1754)  to  be  first  pastor  of 
the  Opecquon  congregation.  John  was  the  grandson  of 
William  Hoge,  the  early  settler  who  gave  the  land  on 
which  the  Opecquon  church  was  built.  He  remained 
here  as  shepherd  of  this  flock  and  of  the  neighboring 
church  at  Cedar  Creek  until  1772.    We  are  told  that  he 

66 


66  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

"was  always  highly  esteemed  as  a  minister  and  had 
an  unquestioned  character  for  piety." 

The  Opecquon  Church  was  the  mother  church  of  all 
the  congregations  of  worshippers  that  live  in  and  around 
Winchester.  It  was  the  largest  and  most  important 
congregation  in  the  Valley  of  Virginia  at  the  time  when 
McAden  and  Hoge  were  talking  about  its  welfare  at 
Elder  Wilson's  house.  The  first,  and  even  the  second 
house  of  worship  that  stood  here  was  of  wood.  At  a 
later  time  a  stone  building  was  erected.  A  great  multi- 
tude of  people  came  on  foot  and  horseback  for  miles  and 
miles  through  the  forests  every  Sunday  to  sit  in  the 
church  in  the  midst  of  the  grove  of  oak  trees  to  listen 
to  the  gospel  from  Hoge's  lips.  A  year  or  two  after 
McAden's  visit,  George  Washington  took  command  of 
the  Virginia  soldiers  in  the  country  near  Winchester. 
He  often  rode  to  Opecquon  Church  to  take  part  in  the 
worship  offered  by  Hoge's  congregation. 

On  Thursday,  June  19,  McAden  left  Wilson's  house 
and  continued  his  journey  up  the  Valley.  He  was  "alone 
in  the  wilderness,"  he  tells  us  ;  "sometimes  a  house  in  ten 
miles  and  sometimes  not  that."  About  forty  miles  each 
day  was  made  by  his  good  horse  through  the  forests.  He 
passed  through  Staunton  and  on  the  fourth  Sunday  in 
June  (22d)  preached  at  North  Mountain  near  the 
present  Bethel  Church.  His  horse  became  sick  or  lame, 
and  he  remained  to  preach  there  the  following  Sunday. 
The  sickness  of  the  horse  continued  another  week  and, 
for  that  reason,  McAden  preached  in  "the  new  court- 
house" at  Staunton  on  the  first  Sunday  in  July. 
McAden  was  a  member  of  the  New  Side  party  in  the 
church.  This  was,  probably,  the  reason  why  John 
Craig,  of  the  Old  Side,  did  not  ask  McAden  to  preach 
to  his  congregation.  McAden  rode  on  to  the  house  of 
John  Brown,  of  the  New  Side,  pastor  of  New  Provi- 
dence and  Timber  Ridge.  "Here,"  says  our  traveller, 
"I  was  vehemently  desired  by  Mr.  Brown  to  preach  in 


Hugh  McAden  67 

one  of  his  places,  having  set  apart  a  day  of  fasting  and 
praj'er,  on  account  of  the  wars  and  many  murders 
committed  by  the  savage  Indians  on  the  back  [frontier] 
inhabitants." 

On  the  Friday  following  he  preached  at  Timber  Ridge 
to  "a  pretty  large  congregation."  McAden  tells  us  that 
he  "felt  some  life  and  earnestness  in  alarming  the  people 
of  their  dangers  on  account  of  sin,  the  procuring  cause 
of  all  evils  that  befell  us  in  this  life  or  that  which 
is  to  come;  encouraging  them  to  turn  to  the  Lord  with 
all  their  hearts,  to  wait  upon  him  for  deliverance  from 
all  their  enemies,  the  only  sure  refuge  in  every  time  of 
difficulty;  and  exciting  them  to  put  themselves  in  the 
best  posture  of  defence  they  could,  and  endeavor,  by  all 
possible  means  in  their  power,  to  defend  themselves  from 
such  barbarous  and  inhuman  enemies."  By  these  last 
words  he  meant,  of  course,  that  they  must  have  their 
good,  old  flint-lock  rifles  loaded  and  ready  for  battle 
with  the  Indians.  "Great  attention  and  solemnity,"  he 
tells  us,  "appeared  throughout  the  whole  assembly ;  nay, 
so  engaged  were  they  that,  though  there  came  up  a 
pretty  smart  gust,  they  seemed  to  mind  it  no  more  than 
if  the  sun  had  been  shining  on  them.  But  in  a  little  time 
the  Lord  turned  it  so  about  that  we  were  little  more  dis- 
turbed than  if  we  had  been  in  a  house." 

A  few  days  later,  as  McAden  was  pressing  south- 
ward, he  heard  of  the  defeat  of  General  Braddock's 
army  by  the  French  and  Indians,  which  took  place  on 
the  9th  of  July,  1755.  "This,  together  with  the  frequent 
accounts  of  fresh  atrocities  being  daily  committed  upon 
the  frontiers,  struck  terror  to  every  heart.  A  cold 
shuddering  possessed  every  breast,  and  paleness  cov- 
ered almost  every  face."  Men,  women  and  children  met 
together  in  companies,  he  tells  us,  and  began  to  build 
forts  for  protection  against  the  Indians. 

McAden  was  disturbed  about  his  own  duty  in  this 
time  of  fear;  whether  to  go  back  or  to  go  on.     "I  re- 


68  Southern  Preshyterian  Leaders 

solved  to  prosecute  my  journey,  come  what  will,"  he 
writes,  "with  some  degree  of  dependence  on  the  Lord 
for  his  divine  protection  and  support,  that  I  might  be 
enabled  to  glorify  him  in  all  things,  whether  in  life  or  in 
death."  This  sense  of  dependence  on  the  Lord,  he 
frankly  tells  us,  was  not  as  strong  and  clear  in  his  own 
heart  as  he  desired  it  to  be. 

Under  the  protection  of  some  friendly  riflemen  who 
went  with  him  as  a  guard,  McAden  crossed  the  Blue 
Ridge  Mountains  and  passed  through  Bedford  County 
to  the  home  of  Robert  Henry.  He  found  that  the  crops 
were  parched  by  a  long  and  wasting  drought.  "I  was 
much  refreshed,"  says  McAden,  "by  a  relation  of  Mr. 
Henry's  success  among  his  people,  who  told  me  of  sev- 
eral hopefully  brought  in  by  his  ministry,  and  fre- 
quent appearance  of  new  awakenings  amongst  them, 
scarcely  a  Sabbath  passing  without  some  life  and  ap- 
pearance of  the  power  of  God.  So,  likewise,  in  Mr. 
Wright's  congregation,  I  hear,  there  is  a  considerable 
appearance  of  the  power  of  God." 

Still  onward  he  pressed,  preaching  at  every  place 
where  the  people  could  be  brought  together.  On  Tues- 
day, July  29,  he  crossed  the  Dan  River  into  North  Car- 
olina and  preached  at  Mr.  Brandon's.  The  same  even- 
ing, after  riding  twelve  miles,  he  came  to  Solomon  De- 
bow's,  on  Hico  River.  There  he  remained  and  preached 
on  the  first  Sunday  in  August  (August  3,  1755).  Mc- 
Aden determined  then  not  to  be  so  anxious  about  getting 
along  in  his  journey,  but  to  "take  some  more  time  to 
labor  among  the  people,  if  so  be  the  Lord  might  bless 
it  to  the  advantage  of  any." 

On  Tuesday,  the  5th  of  August,  he  preached  again  at 
Debow's.  He  rode  ten  miles  on  Wednesday  and 
preached  at  the  chapel  on  South  Hico.  The  people  there 
"seemed  exceedingly  pleased  and  returned  abundance  of 
thanks  for  my  sermon,  and  earnestly  entreated  me  by 
all  means  to  call  upon  them  as  I  came  back."     His 


Hugh  McAden  69 

course  was  now  towards  the  southeast,  and  his  message 
was  delivered  at  ahnost  every  house  wliere  he  spent  the 
night.  At  Eno  he  found  "a  set  of  pretty  regular  Pres- 
byterians" who  appeared  in  "a  cold  state  of  religious 
feeling."  The  people  at  Grassy  Creek  "seemed  very 
inquisitive  about  the  way  to  Zion."  While  he  was 
preaching  to  large  crowds  on  Fishing  Creek,  a  branch 
of  Tar  River,  "the  power  of  God  appeared  something 
conspicuous  and  the  word  seemed  to  fall  with  power." 
Nearly  all  of  the  settlers  in  this  region,  he  tells  us,  were 
Scots  who  had  passed  into  North  Carolina  through 
Virginia. 

Congregations  were  gathered  everywhere  for  him. 
The  people  were  solemn  and  attentive.  His  course  was 
now  again  towards  the  southwest.  A  large  company  of 
Presbyterians  heard  him  preach  at  Hawfields.  The 
people  of  the  Buffalo  Settlement  seemed  "solemn  and 
very  attentive,  but  no  appearance  of  the  life  of  religion." 
Early  in  September  McAden  came  to  Yadkin  Ford  and 
preached  there  in  the  regular  meeting-house.  A  week 
later  he  crossed  the  Yadkin  River  and  preached  at 
another  meeting-house  built  by  Presbyterians.  There 
he  met  John  Andrew,  "a  serious,  good  man,  I  hope, 
with  whom  my  soul  was  much  refreshed,  by  his  warm 
conversation  about  the  things  of  God.  How  sweet  to 
meet  one  in  the  wilderness  who  can  speak  the  language 
of  Canaan." 

On  the  way  southward  he  passed  a  large  company 
of  men,  women  and  children  who  had  fled  from  the 
mountains  of  Virginia  to  escape  the  Indians.  The 
earth  was  still  so  dry  from  lack  of  rain  that  he  did  not 
see  "so  much  as  one  patch  of  wheat  or  rye  in  the 
ground." 

On  Sunday,  October  12,  McAden  preached  at  the 
home  of  Justice  Alexander,  on  Rocky  River,  in  North 
Carolina.  The  following  W^ednesday  he  rode  three  miles 
and  preached  at  ]\Iajor  Harris's.     About  six  miles  on 


70  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

Friday  brought  him  to  David  Caldwell's,  where  he 
preached  again.  On  Sunday,  the  19th,  he  rode  twelve 
miles  to  James  Alexander's  on  Sugar  Creek,  in  Meck- 
lenburg County.  The  congregation  that  listened  to  his 
sermon  there  was  made  up  of  "serious,  judicious  people." 
After  the  sermon  McAden  rode  home  with  Henry  Neely 
and  on  Monday,  October  20,  he  turned  his  horse's  head 
toward  the  Broad  River  in  South  Carolina,  sixty  miles 
away. 

Two  young  men  who  had  come  from  the  Broad 
River  country  to  meet  him,  rode  in  front  to  show  the 
way.  The  first  day's  journey  carried  them  beyond  the 
Catawba  River.  The  Catawba  Indians  gave  some 
trouble,  but  they  soon  passed  on  to  the  Tyger  River 
and  other  headwaters  of  the  Broad  River,  near  the  pres- 
ent cities  of  Spartanburg  and  Greenville,  in  upper 
South  Carolina.  McAden  was  probably  the  first  min- 
ister who  visited  that  region.  Presbyterian  settlers 
were  rapidly  pressing  into  it  and  they  gave  the  preacher 
a  warm  welcome. 

On  the  14th  of  November,  1755,  McAden  set  forth 
on  a  northeast  course  towards  the  Waxhaws,  a  district 
in  the  present  Lancaster  County,  South  Carolina.  On 
Sunday,  November  16,  he  preached  in  the  house  of 
James  Patton,  to  "a  pretty  large  congregation  of  Pres- 
byterian people."  Another  sermon  was  delivered  Wed- 
nesday at  the  same  place.  Then  he  crossed  the  Catawba 
and,  five  miles  beyond  that  river,  preached  at  the  Wax- 
haws  meeting-house  on  Sunday,  November  23,  1755. 
After  the  sermon  he  went  home  with  a  friend  whose 
name  he  wrote  as  Justice  Dickens.  It  must  be,  how- 
ever, that  he  intended  to  give  the  name  as  Pickens, 
father  of  General  Andrew  Pickens  of  the  Revolution. 
Justice  Pickens  was  a  member  of  the  first  bench  of 
magistrates  appointed  for  Augusta  County,  Virginia,  in 
(1745).    He  afterwards  moved  to  South  Carolina. 

McAden  now  turned  northward  again  towards  the 


Hugh  McAden  71 

Yadkin.  He  visited  every  home  in  North  Carolina  at 
which  he  had  stopped  in  his  southwest  journey.  On 
the  28th  of  November  he  preached  to  a  large  congrega- 
tian  at  Cathey's  meeting-house,  now  called  Thyatira 
Church.  The  people  wanted  him  to  remain  as  their 
pastor,  but  he  would  not  accept  the  call.  He  led  the 
worship  of  a  congregation  at  Captain  Hampton's  on 
Second  Creek  and  then  rode  to  the  northern  bank  of 
the  Yadkin. 

The  13th  day  of  January,  1756,  found  McAden  rid- 
ing toward  the  Cape  Fear  River.  Of  course  he  deliv- 
ered the  gospel  message  as  he  went.  Among  those  who 
heard  him  were  many  settlers  from  the  Highlands  of 
Scotland.  In  the  forenoon  of  Sunday,  February  15, 
1756,  he  preached  in  Wilmington,  North  Carolina,  to 
a  "large  and  splendid  audience."  He  was  much  sur- 
prised, however,  when  he  went  to  the  place  of  worship 
in  the  afternoon  "to  see  about  a  dozen  met  to  hear  me." 
Two  days  later  he  rode  from  Wilmington  up  the  north- 
east branch  of  the  Cape  Fear  River.  He  found 
many  people  whose  affection  and  entreaties  moved  him 
to  stay  longer.  One  community  made  out  a  call  for 
him  and  others  wished  him  to  become  their  shepherd. 
Slowly  he  made  his  way  across  the  Neuse  and  Tar 
rivers  and  thence  again  to  the  Dan,  which  he  crossed 
again  on  his  northward  journey.  May  6,  1756. 

The  affection  of  the  people  whom  McAden  met  just 
north  of  Wilmington  drew  him  back  again.  In  1759 
he  became  the  pastor  of  the  Presbyterians  in  Duplin 
and  New  Hanover  counties.  He  labored  there  about 
ten  years.  Then  he  came  as  pastor  to  the  Hico  River 
in  Caswell  County,  among  the  people  Avhom  he  met  when 
he  first  crossed  the  Dan  River  into  North  Carolina. 
His  dwelling-house  was  near  the  Red  House  Church. 
Half  a  day's  ride  brought  him  to  a  church  in  Pittsyl- 
vania County,  Virginia,  There  in  the  valley  of  the  Dan 
River,  riding  back  and  forth  across  that  stream,  Mc- 


72  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

Aden  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  until  its  close  in  1781. 

McAden's  son  tells  us  that  his  father  "always  spent 
one  or  two  days  every  week  in  private  study,  and  if 
he  walked  into  the  fields  he  always  carried  his  Bible 
with  him.  He  visited  with  his  elders,  once  a  year,  all 
the  families  within  the  bounds  of  his  congregations  and 
he  would  exhort  and  pray  with  them  during  his  stay. 
He  would  collect  all  of  his  congregations  once  a  year 
at  his  churches,  and  hold  an  examination  of  those 
present.  He  administered  the  sacrament  at  each  of  his 
churches  twice  every  year.  He  spent  his  life  in  attempt- 
ing to  convince  all  of  their  sins,  and  in  rendering  happy 
those  who  were  members  of  his  congregations." 


CHAPTER  XI 

ALEXANDER    CRAIGHEAD    AND    THE    SEVEN    CHURCHES    OF 
MECKLENBURG    IN    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

Alexander  Craighead  was  a  Scot,  born  in  North  Ire- 
land. He  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  colony  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  was  there  ordained  as  a  minister  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Donegal,  of  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia, 
about  the  close  of  the  year  1735.  Craighead's  heart 
was  filled  with  love  for  his  fellowmen.  With  warm, 
eager  appeals  he  sought  to  persuade  them  to  become 
Christians.  He  heard  Whitefield  preach  and  was  filled 
with  admiration  for  the  man  and  his  ways.  Craighead 
possessed  in  a  large  measure  the  same  power  to  move 
men's  hearts  that  marked  Whitefield.  Of  course  he 
became  a  member  of  the  New  Side  party  and  tried  to 
promote  revivals  of  religion  among  his  people.  Craig- 
head had  strong,  clear  views  about  the  right  of  the 
individual  man  to  do  as  he  pleased  in  the  matter  of 
religious  worship,  and  about  the  rights  of  the  individ- 
ual man  in  the  government  of  the  community.  A 
pamphlet  concerning  civil  government  was  circulated 
in  the  colony  of  Pennsylvania.  This  pamphlet  gave 
great  offense  to  the  governor  of  the  colony.  He 
thought  that  the  writer  of  it  claimed  too  much  freedom 
for  each  citizen  of  the  province.  When  the  governor  was 
told  that  Alexander  Craighead  was  the  writer  of  the 
paper,  he  laid  the  pamphlet  before  the  Synod  of  Phila- 
delphia of  which  Craighead  was  a  member.  The  synod 
expressed  its  disapproval  of  the  views  set  forth  in  the 
pamphlet.  It  said,  also,  that  Craighead  had  not  been 
given  the  authority  to  speak  for  the  synod  with  refer- 
ence to  matters  of  civil  government.     It  was  charged 

73 


74  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

that  Craighead  was  "tinged  with  an  uncharitable  and 
party  spirit."  Probably  for  the  reason  that  he  found 
himself  in  advance  of  his  brethren  in  Pennsylvania 
concerning  freedom  in  church  and  in  state,  Craighead 
left  that  colony  and  came  to  the  mountains  of 
Virginia. 

In  1749  Craighead  made  his  home  on  the  Cow  Pas- 
ture River,  in  Augusta  County,  Virginia,  within  the 
borders  of  the  present  Windy  Cove  congregation.  In 
1755  he  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the  Hanover 
Presbytery.  Then  came  the  days  of  terror  that  followed 
the  defeat  of  Braddock  in  July,  1755.  Craighead's 
people  lived  in  a  place  of  danger  on  the  western  bor- 
der of  the  Virginia  settlements.  Many  of  them,  there- 
fore, gathered  up  their  household  goods  and  moved 
eastward  across  the  Blue  Ridge.  Then  they  turned 
their  faces  southward,  crossed  the  Dan  and  Yadkin 
rivers,  and  found  homes  in  the  beautiful  country 
between  the  Yadkin  and  the  Catawba,  in  North  and 
South  Carolina.  Craighead  went  with  his  people. 
Another  reason  led  him  away  from  the  Virginia  fron- 
tier, in  addition  to  the  danger  from  the  Indians.  That 
reason  was  the  injustice  shown  at  that  time  to  dissent- 
ing ministers  by  the  colonial  government  in  Virginia. 
These  ministers  were  not  allowed  to  perform  the  rite 
of  marriage  for  their  own  people.  Craighead  loved 
liberty  and  he  wished  for  himself  and  brethren  privi- 
leges as  great  as  those  enjoyed  by  Episcopal  ministers. 
Since  these  were  not  granted  in  Virginia,  he  sought 
North  Carolina  as  a  place  of  freedom. 

About  ten  years  before  Craighead  entered  North 
Carolina,  that  is,  about  1746,  a  stream  of  Scots  began 
to  move  across  the  Yadkin  from  the  northward.  These 
early  settlers  built  homes  in  that  fair  region  between 
the  Catawba  and  Yadkin  which  is  sometimes  called 
Mesopotamia.      Many   of  the   family   names   of  these 


Alexander  Craighead  75 

early  settlers  in  North  Carolina,  and  also  of  the  colo- 
nists in  the  upper  part  of  South  Carolina,  were  the 
names  borne  by  John  Hoge's  people  on  the  Opecquon 
and  by  John  Craig's  congregation,  in  the  Valley  of  Vir- 
ginia. The  same  homes  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  no 
doubt,  sent  forth  all  of  these  God-fearing  men  and 
women  to  build  homes  and  churches  and  schoolhouses 
in  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas,  Similar  names  were 
given  to  mountains  and  streams  in  the  frontier  regions 
of  these  three  colonies.  Bethel,  Bethesda  and  Provi- 
dence, as  the  names  of  churches,  have  been  left,  moreover, 
all  along  the  pathway  of  the  Scots  as  they  journeyed 
from  Pennsylvania  to  Georgia.  The  place  of  worship 
was  for  them  the  house  of  God  (Bethel),  the  house  of 
mercy  (Bethesda),  and  the  symbol  of  Jehovah's  pro- 
tecting care  (Providence). 

In  the  year  1758,  Alexander  Craighead  became  pastor 
of  the  Presbyterian  congregation  on  Rocky  River,  in 
North  Carolina.  He  was  installed  in  this  office  by 
William  Richardson,  who  was  appointed  by  the  Han- 
over Presbytery  to  perform  this  service.  Rocky 
River  was,  therefore,  the  name  of  the  oldest  church 
in  the  western  Carolina  country.  Until  the  time  of  his 
death,  in  1766,  Craighead  was  the  only  pastor  in  the 
land  between  the  rivers  Yadkin  and  Catawba. 

Within  the  bounds  of  the  Rocky  River  congregation 
there  ran  a  little  creek  with  the  Indian  name  of  Sugaw. 
It  is  now  called  Sugar  Creek.  On  the  bank  of  that 
little  stream  a  log  church  was  built  and  Craighead 
preached  there  regularly  to  a  part  of  his  congregation. 
For  a  distance  of  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  on  every  side, 
Craighead's  people  walked  or  rode  to  the  Sugar  Creek 
Church.  As  this  place  of  worship  stood  near  the  center 
of  the  land  occupied  by  the  Scots  between  the  Yadkin 
and  Catawba,  it  soon  became  the  largest  of  Craighead's 
congregations. 


76  Southern  Preshyterian  Leaders 

In  the  year  1762,  the  county  of  Mecklenburg  was 
laid  off  in  this  region  and  named  after  the  wife  of 
King  George  the  Third  of  England,  Queen  Charlotte, 
who  was  a  princess  of  the  German  house  of  Mecklen- 
burg. A  town  was  established  within  the  bounds  of 
Sugar  Creek  congregation,  about  three  miles  from 
the  church,  as  the  county  seat  of  Mecklenburg  County. 
This  town  was  called  Charlotte,  likewise  in  honor  of 
the  queen. 

About  1765  two  ministers,  Spencer  and  McWhorter, 
came  to  North  Carolina,  bearing  the  authority  given 
to  them  by  the  Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia. 
In  accordance  with  Craighead's  desire,  these  two  evan- 
gelists divided  the  territory  of  Mecklenburg  County  into 
a  number  of  separate  church  congregations.  In  the 
usual  solemn  manner  elders  were  chosen  and  or- 
dained by  the  laying  on  of  hands  in  the  following 
churches :  Steel  Creek,  Providence,  Hopewell,  Centre, 
and  Poplar  Tent. 

These  congregations,  with  the  Rocky  River  con- 
gregation, formed  a  circle  around  the  Sugar  Creek 
Church.  Craighead  was  chief  shepherd,  while  he  lived, 
of  the  entire  group  of  seven  churches.  These  congre- 
gations were  spread  over  the  territory  of  the  present 
Mecklenburg  and  Cabarras  counties  and  a  part  of  the 
present  Iredell  County,  North  Carolina.* 

The  lives  of  the  people  who  lived  in  this  region  were 
moulded  in  large  measure  by  Alexander  Craighead.  The 
religious  beliefs  in  which  he  carefully  instructed  them 
were  drawn  from  the  Bible  in  accordance  with  the  West- 
minster Confession  of  Faith.  He  taught  them  that  God 
must  be  worshipped  every  day  in  the  home  and  every 
Lord's  Day  in  the  church  in  a  solemn  and  devout  manner. 
The  standard  of  conduct  which  he  set  before  them  by 
precept  and  example  was  that  type  of  simple  piety  in 

*The  church  of  Thyatira  in  Rowan  county  was  probably  or- 
ganized at  the  same  time  by  Spencer  and  McWhorter. 


Alexander  Croighead  77 

which  the  warm  heart  and  the  generous  hand  unite 
together  to  give  expression  to  the  Christian's  faith  in 
God. 

Craighead  taught  his  people  also  those  principles  of 
individual  liberty  in  the  home,  in  church  government 
and  in  state  government,  that  now  form  the  basis  of 
our  lives  as  Christians  and  as  citizens  of  a  common 
country.  He  came  from  Virginia  to  North  Carolina  to 
assert  his  rights  and  privileges  as  a  minister  in  the 
Church  of  Christ.  He  continued  to  claim  that  the 
British  colonial  government  had  no  right  nor  author- 
ity to  take  away  his  privileges  as  an  ordained  officer  in 
the  church.  He  taught  his  people  that  they,  as  home- 
builders  and  as  defenders  of  the  Western  Carolina  coun- 
try, had  the  right  to  manage  their  home  affairs — a  right 
which  the  governor  of  the  colony  could  not  take  from 
them. 

We  shall  see  how  Craighead's  teaching  bore  much 
good  fruit  in  the  land  of  Mecklenburg,  not  very  long 
after  he  was  laid  to  rest  (1766)  in  the  old  church  yard 
at  Sugar  Creek.  Two  small  sassafras  branches  were 
used  to  carry  his  body  to  the  place  of  burial  by  the 
side  of  the  old  log  church,  about  half  a  mile  west  of 
the  present  brick  house  of  worship.  The  two  branches 
were  set  in  the  ground  to  mark  the  head  and  foot  of 
Craighead's  grave.  They  took  root  and  grew  up  as 
tall,  strong  trees.  In  like  manner  the  words  and  the 
example  of  this  man  of  God  took  root  and  grew  in  the 
lives  of  the  people  of  that  land. 

On  the  third  Friday  in  May,  1768,  Joseph  Alexan- 
der, a  relative  of  John  McKnitt  Alexander,  became 
Craighead's  successor  as  the  pastor  of  Sugar  Creek 
Church.  All  of  the  ministerial  work  of  Craighead  was 
for  the  time  laid  upon  him.  Alexander  established  an 
advanced  school,  known  as  a  classical  school,  at  the 
Sugar  Creek  Church.  In  this  work  he  was  aided  by  a 
teacher  named  Benedict.     In  1770  this  school  was  re- 


78  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

moved  to  the  town  of  Charlotte  and  called  Que'en's 
Museum,  or  College.  After  the  Revolution  began,  the 
name  of  the  school  was  changed  to  Liberty  Hall  Acad- 
emy. Alexander  himself  went  to  Bullock's  Creek  in 
York  District,  South  Carolina,  and  there  for  nearly 
thirty  years  he  was  pastor  of  the  church  and  the  princi- 
pal of  a  famous  Greek  and  Latin  school. 


CHAPTER  XII 

JOHN   WITHERSPOON,   OF   THE  LOWER   SANTEE  RIVER,   AND 
JAMES  CAMPBELL,   OF   THE  UPPER   CAPE   FEAR   RIVER. 

In  the  year  1732,  a  small  company  of  Scots  came  from 
the  North  of  Ireland  to  the  coast  region  of  South  Caro- 
lina. They  were  given  a  tract  of  land  on  Black  River, 
between  the  lower  Santee  and  Pee  Dee  rivers.  This 
country  was  called  Williamsburg  Township,  in  honor  of 
William  the  Third,  King  of  England.  In  the  autumn 
of  the  year  1734,  another  group  of  Scots  sailed  from 
Belfast,  Ireland.  Storms  tossed  their  ship  sorely  dur- 
ing the  voyage  across  the  Atlantic,  but  just  three  weeks 
before  Christmas  they  landed  at  Charles  Town.  After 
Christmas  they  were  put  in  an  open  boat  with  food  to 
last  them  for  a  year.  Each  grown-up  man  was  given, 
also,  an  ax,  a  broad  hoe  and  a  narrow  hoe.  The  boat 
shaped  its  course  by  way  of  Georgetown  Harbor  and 
thence  up  the  Black  River  to  Williamsburg  Township. 
The  leader  of  this  company  of  Scots  was  John  Wither- 
spoon,  kinsman  of  the  famous  John  Witherspoon,  Presi- 
den  of  Princeton  College,  who  was  one  of  the  signers 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  He  brought  the 
emigrants  ashore  and  they  began  to  build  houses  not  far 
from  a  large  white  pine  tree  on  the  bank  of  the  river. 
For  the  reason  that  trees  of  this  kind  were  kept  for  the 
use  of  the  King  of  England,  this  beautiful  pine,  which 
threw  its  shadow  over  the  homes  of  the  Scots,  was  called 
the  King's  Tree.  Such  was  the  beginning  of  the  present 
town  of  Kingstree,  in  South  Carolina, 

John  Witherspoon  was  a  man  of  stout  heart,  for  we 
are  told  that  he  and  his  sons  comforted  the  people  whom 


80  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

he  led  into  the  wilderness.  When  the  emigrants  found 
nothing  on  the  shore  of  the  Black  River  but  a  great 
forest  and  a  few  log-cabins  built  by  the  Scots  who  had 
come  two  years  before,  their  spirits  sank.  Then,  says 
Robert  Witherspoon,  grandson  of  John,  "My  father 
gave  us  all  the  comfort  he  could,  by  telling  us  we  would 
get  all  those  trees  cut  down  and  in  a  short  time  there 
would  be  plenty  of  inhabitants,  so  that  we  could  see  from 
house  to  house." 

The  fire,  which  the  settlers  had  brought  with  them, 
went  out,  but  John  Witherspoon's  son  hastened  through 
the  pathless  forest  to  the  next  group  of  houses,  and 
brought  some  live  coals.  When  darkness  came  on  "the 
wolves  began  to  howl  on  all  sides."  John  Witherspoon 
loaded  his  gun  and  kept  his  people  in  safety.  For  a  long 
time  there  was  no  door  to  his  house  and  the  earth  itself 
formed  the  only  floor.  Wild  beasts  and  Indians  were 
driven  away  and  under  the  leadership  of  John  Wither- 
spoon the  axes  of  the  settlers  were  kept  at  work  in  the 
woods.  Corn  was  planted  and  in  the  autumn  there  was 
bread  in  abundance  from  their  own  fields. 

"Well,  we  must  have  a  minister,"  said  one  of  the  With- 
erspoons,  whose  first  name  was  Gavin.  John  Willison, 
of  Dundee,  Scotland,  was  the  preacher  whom  he  named 
when  asked  about  his  choice.  "But  the  minister  must 
have  a  muckle  sight  o'  money  for  his  living."  "An'  that 
we  must  gie  him,"  said  Witherspoon.  "An'  how  much. 
Mister  Wotherspoon,  wuU  ye  gie.?"  "Ten  poonds,"  was 
the  ready  answer.  "But,  Mister  Wotherspoon,  whar 
wull  ye  get  the  ten  poonds  ?"  "Why,  if  warst  comes  to 
warst,"  said  Witherspoon,  "I  can  e'en  sell  my  cou 
[cow]."  Willison  was  sent  for,  but  he  could  not  come. 
Robert  Heron  came,  however  from  North  Ireland, 
and  in  August,  1736,  he  organized  a  Presbyterian 
Church  among  the  Scots  of  Williamsburg.  About  three 
years  afterwards,  however.  Heron  returned  to  Ireland 
and  remained  there  until  his  death.      Soon  after  the 


John  Witherspoon  and  James  Campbell         81 

founding  of  the  church  near  the  King's  Tree,  Presby- 
terian Churches  were  organized  at  Salem,  on  the  Black 
River,  at  Indian  Town,  at  Ainiwell,  on  the  Pee  Dee,  at 
Mount  Zion  and  at  Brewington.  Most  of  the  people 
who  established  these  churches  bore  the  family  names  of 
Cooper,  Gordon,  Irwin,  James,  McCutchen,  McDonald, 
Wilson  and  Witherspoon. 

In  1743  John  Rae  came  to  be  the  preacher  at  the 
King's  Tree.  He  continued  his  labors  there  until  his 
death  in  1761.  He  was  "a  man  of  heavenly  spirit,"  we 
are  told,  who  went  about  "reproving  the  negligent,  en- 
couraging the  doubtful  and  desponding,  visiting  the 
sick,  comforting  mourners  and  relieving  the  distressed." 
Under  his  wise  care  harmony  was  preserved  in  the  con- 
gregation, "the  piety  and  graces  of  the  parents  seemed 
to  have  descended  upon  their  offspring,  and  the  young, 
as  they  grew  to  manhood,  became  with  few  exceptions, 
members  and  ornaments  of  the  church  of  their  fathers." 
New  settlers  came  and  wide  fields  gave  their  harvests 
each  year.  From  Sunday  to  Sunday,  all  of  these 
churches  of  the  Santee  and  Pee  Dee  country  were  filled 
with  earnest  worshippers.  David  McKee,  a  godly  man, 
followed  Rae  in  the  work  of  the  ministry  at  the  King's 
Tree.  After  three  years,  McKee  went  to  Salem,  on 
Black  River,  and  Hector  Alison  became  shepherd  at  the 
King's  Tree. 

While  these  people  from  the  Lowlands  of  Scotland 
were  growing  in  numbers  and  strength  near  the  coast  of 
South  Carolina  a  large  body  of  settlers  from  the  Scotch 
Highlands  was  worshipping-  God  in  the  Presbyterian 
way,  on  the  upper  waters  of  the  Cape  Fear  River. 
They  began  to  enter  this  region  about  the  time  when 
John  Witherspoon  and  his  followers  were  building 
homes  near  the  King's  Tree  on  the  Black  River  (1734). 
Soon  after  the  year  1746,  the  Highlanders  came  in  large 
numbers  and  established  themselves  in  the  region  around 
Cross  Creek,  now  called  Fayetteville,  on  the  Cape  Fear. 


82  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

From  that  point  some  of  them  moved  gradually  west- 
ward across  the  upper  Pee  Dee  River.  Today  their  de- 
scendants hold  a  large  part  of  the  land  in  the  counties 
of  Cumberland,  Bladen,  Robeson,  Sampson,  Moore, 
Richmond,  and  Anson,  in  North  Carolina. 

These  Scots  from  the  Highlands  were  Presbyterians. 
Some  years  passed  away  before  they  could  secure  a 
preacher.  In  1757,  however,  James  Campbell  became 
their  spiritual  shepherd  and  he  held  that  office  until  his 
death  in  1781. 

James  Campbell,  a  minister  of  the  Church  of  Scot- 
land, came  first  to  the  colony  of  Pennsylvania  (1730) 
and  preached  there  to  a  congregation  of  Scots.  His 
mind  became  clouded  with  doubt  concerning  his  call  to 
the  ministry,  and  after  a  few  years  he  ceased  to  preach. 
Then  Whitefield  came  through  that  land  and  Campbell 
heard  him  speak.  He  sought  out  Whitefield  and  told 
him  of  his  spiritual  unrest.  Whitefield  gave  good  coun- 
sel and  urged  Campbell  to  take  up  again  the  work  of 
the  ministry.  In  1755,  therefore,  when  Hugh  McAden 
set  forth  upon  his  journey  southward,  he  found  Camp- 
bell in  charge  of  a  congregation  in  western  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

Two  years  later,  that  is,  in  1757,  James  Campbell 
came  to  North  Carolina  and  began  to  speak  the  gospel 
message  to  the  Highlanders  of  the  Cape  Fear  country. 
His  home  was  on  the  left  bank  of  that  stream,  thirteen 
miles  above  Cross  Creek.  The  Scots  required  him  to 
become  a  member  of  the  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina 
and  this  he  did  at  once.  On  his  own  plantation,  "be- 
neath the  shade  of  his  own  lofty  oaks,"  he  first  preached 
Christ  to  his  countrymen  in  their  native  language.  The 
news  that  a  Gaelic,  or  Highland,  preacher  had  settled 
among  them  passed  throughout  the  region  occupied  by 
the  Scots  "almost  with  the  speed  of  the  fiery  cross  in 
the  Highlands,  when  sent  to  summon  the  clansmen  to 
the  fight.     Soon  multitudes  came  to  hear  the  Word  ex- 


John  Witherspoon  and  James  Campbell         83 

pounded  and  to  listen  to  the  accents  of  his  Highland 
tongue." 

Across  the  river  from  Campbell's  home  stood  a  high 
bank  called  the  Bluff.  At  that  place  lived  Hector 
McNeill,  who  was  known  from  the  place  of  his  residence 
as  Bluff  Hector.  Just  below  the  Bluff,  in  a  meeting- 
house near  Roger  McNeill's,  which  was  called  "Roger's 
meeting-house,"  Campbell  preached  for  ten  or  twelve 
years.  Hector  McNeill  and  Alexander  McAlister  were 
the  elders  in  this  church. 

Another  place  of  preaching  was  the  house  of  John 
Dobbin  on  Barbacue.  About  1766  a  house  of  worship 
was  built  there  called  the  "Barbacue  Church."  The 
first  elders  were  Gilbert  Clark,  Duncan  Buie,  Archibald 
Buie  and  Daniel  Cameron,  known  as  Daniel  of  the  Hill. 
These  elders  were  so  honest  and  worthy  in  their  lives 
and  so  faithful  in  attending  to  all  of  their  duties  in 
the  church  that  they  were  called  "the  little  ministers  of 
Barbacue."  The  congregation  was  well  trained  after 
the  old  Scotch  method.  The  Bible  was  read  with  care 
in  every  home.  Every  member  of  the  community  went 
to  church  on  Sunday,  whether  the  minister  was  present 
or  not.  They  all  repeated  the  Catechism  as  a  part  of 
the  public  worship  in  the  church.  This  exercise  was 
under  the  management  of  the  elders  when  Mr.  Campbell 
was  preaching  in  some  other  part  of  his  field.  When 
the  minister  was  present  and  began  his  sermon.  Bibles 
were  opened  and  every  text  that  he  mentioned  was 
sought  out  at  once  and  read.  The  people  were  so  well 
instructed  in  Biblical  doctrines  that  John  McLeod,  who 
came  afterwards  from  Scotland  to  assist  Mr.  Campbell, 
said  that  "he  would  rather  preach  to  the  most  polished 
and  fashionable  congregation  in  Edinburgh  than  to  the 
little  critical  carls  of  Barbacue."  The  man  who  stood 
in  their  pulpit  had  to  guard  his  tongue  against  mis- 
takes or  they  would  set  him  right  when  the  service  came 
to  a  close. 


84  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

A  third  place  where  Campbell  preached  regularly  was 
at  MacKay's  house.  A  church  was  afterwards  built 
there,  now  knoM^n  as  Longstreet  Church.  At  each 
place  where  he  preached  Campbell  gave  the  people  two 
sermons.  One  was  spoken  in  English  and  the  other 
in  Gaelic,  the  tongue  of  the  Highlanders.  He  rode 
beyond  the  borders  of  the  Highlanders'  settlement  and 
gave  the  gospel  to  the  Scotch-Irish  of  the  neighboring 
regions.  The  people  of  Purity  Church,  near  the  center 
of  the  present  Chester  county.  South  Carolina,  had 
James  Campbell  as  their  first  minister.  For  more  than 
a  year  he  made  the  long  journey  across  the  country  at 
regular  times  to  serve  them. 

Campbell's  preaching,  we  are  told,  was  "exegetical 
and  practical — expounding  and  explaining  chapters  or 
portions  of  the  Scriptures.  In  this  he  imitated  White- 
field,  to  whom  he  felt  much  indebted." 

From  1770  until  1773  John  McLeod  assisted  Camp- 
bell in  preaching  to  the  Highlanders  on  the  Cape  Fear. 
Then  McLeod  set  sail  for  Scotland  and  was  lost  at  sea. 

Just  before  the  Revolution,  the  famous  Flora  Mc- 
Donald and  her  husband,  Allan  McDonald,  came  from 
Scotland  to  North  Carolina.  They  lived  at  first  in  the 
town  of  Cross  Creek  (Fayetteville),  and  afterwards 
made  their  home  at  Cameron's  Hill,  twenty  miles  above 
Cross  Creek.  There  they  were  regular  in  their  attend- 
ance at  the  Barbacue  Church. 

During  the  early  years  of  Flora  McDonald,  Prince 
Charles  Edward  put  forward  the  claim  that  the  crown 
of  England  belonged  to  him.  He  fought  for  the  crown, 
but  was  defeated  in  the  battle  of  Culloden  (1746).  The 
Prince  escaped  from  the  battle-field  and  then  the  English 
government  offered  a  great  sum  of  money  to  any  person 
who  would  capture  him.  Flora  McDonald's  heart  was 
touched  with  pity  for  the  wandering  Prince  and  she 
helped  him  to  escape  from  the  Scotch  Highlands  across 
the  sea  to  France.     Long  afterwards.  Flora  came    to 


John  Witherspoon  and  James  Campbell         85 

America  to  dwell  for  a  time  among  her  countrymen  on 
the  Cape  Fear  River.  There  as  a  "dignified  and  hand- 
some woman,"  she  sat  in  the  Barbacue  Church  and 
heard  the  gospel  from  the  lips  of  James  Campbell  in  her 
own  Highland  form  of  speech.  We  shall  hear  more 
about  the  McDonalds  and  the  other  Scots  when  the  war 
of  the  Revolution  begins. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

ARCHIBALD     SIMPSON,     EVANGELIST    IN     THE    REGION 
BETWEEN    CHARLES   TOWN   AND    SAVANNAH. 

Archibald  Simpson  grew  up  as  a  child  in  his  native 
city  of  Glasgow,  Scotland.  In  1748,  when  he  was  four- 
teen years  of  age,  Archibald  began  to  write  down  in  a 
journal  an  account  of  the  daily  thoughts  and  events  of 
his  life.  At  first  he  wrote  chiefly  about  his  impressions 
and  experiences  as  a  young  Christian.  He  continued  to 
keep  this  diary  for  a  period  of  nearly  forty  years,  until 
he  filled  up  ten  books  with  the  record  of  his  life  and 
work. 

While  Archibald  Simpson  was  a  student  at  Glasgow 
University,  reading  the  Bible  and  engaging  in  prayer  in 
company  with  his  beloved  friend,  William  Richardson, 
he  made  up  his  mind  to  become  a  preacher.  In  1753 
he  came  to  Georgia  and  assisted  George  Whitefield  in 
the  management  of  Bethesda,  a  home  for  orphans.  In 
the  following  year  (1754),  however,  Simpson  moved 
into  South  Carolina  and  began  to  preach  at  the  Wilton 
Church.  The  people  of  this  congregation  soon  became 
divided  in  opinion  with  reference  to  the  location  of  a 
new  house  of  worship.  Some  of  the  church  members 
became  the  enemies  of  Simpson  himself.  One  fine 
Sunday  morning  in  the  spring  of  1756  when  he  went 
to  the  house  of  worship  he  found  it  closed  against  him. 
Simpson  preached,  therefore,  under  the  shade  of  the 
trees  in  a  grove  not  far  from  the  meeting-house.  Then 
the  people  of  Indian  Land,  or  Stoney  Creek,  near  Beau- 
fort, asked  Mr.  Simpson  to  become  their  minister.  His 
wife  had  come  from  Scotland  to  join  him  and  together 

86 


Archibald  Simpson  87 

they  went  to  Stoney  Creek,  an  independent  or  Congre- 
gational Church.  The  year  before  (1755)  the  Inde- 
pendent Church  in  Savannah  had  been  organized. 

Simpson's  journal  gives  us  many  glimpses  of  the 
sessions  of  the  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina,  of  which 
he  was  a  member.  The  journal  tells  us  also  about 
Simpson's  own  work  in  the  pulpit.  Just  before  the  cele- 
bration of  the  Lord's  Supper  on  a  certain  occasion  at 
James  Island  Church,  he  tells  us  that  he  "preached 
the  preparation  sermon  from  Sam.  III.,  11 ;  endea- 
vored to  put  the  crown  on  the  Mediator's  head."  On 
the  following  Monday  Simpson  "preached  from  John 
III.,  2;  had  an  opportunity  to  be  a  witness  for  the 
divinity  of  my  glorious  Lord,  Jesus  Christ,  against  a 
young  man  who  denied  it,  and  yet  sat  down  yesterday 
at  the  Lord's  table."  The  entry  for  July  23,  1756,  is 
as  follows:  "  This  afternoon  went  over  to  Port  Royal 
Island,  to  preach  at  Beaufort  next  Sabbath  to  the 
remains  of  a  Presbyterian  Church.  Lord's-day,  25th: 
Was  much  pleased  with  the  solid  appearance  of  the 
congregation,  which  was  pretty  numerous,  as  there  was 
no  preaching  in  the  church   [Episcopal]." 

In  1761  Simpson  made  a  journey  into  Georgia  to 
preach  to  some  congregations  who  had  invited  him  to 
become  their  pastor.  He  went  by  way  of  Savannah, 
thence  to  the  Midway  congregation  in  Liberty  County 
and  farther  still  to  Darien.  He  was  pleased  with  the 
fine  plantations  and  the  large,  well-built  house  of  wor- 
ship which  the  Congregationalists  from  Dorchester, 
South  Carolina,  had  established  at  Midway.  He  found 
Scotch  Highlanders  on  the  Sapelo  and  Scots  from  North 
Ireland  on  the  Altamaha  River.  Some  of  the  latter 
were  just  moving  into  that  region  from  Williams- 
burg Township,  South  Carolina. 

In  1769  he  made  another  journey  to  the  Midway 
Church  to  take  part  with  the  people  there  in  the  cele- 
bration   of    the    Sacrament    of    the    Lord's    Supper. 


88  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

Although  Midway  was  a  Congregational  Church  and, 
therefore,  independent  in  its  government,  yet  we  are 
told  that  up  to  the  year  1849  this  congregation  had 
furnished  more  Presbyterian  ministers  than  all  of  the 
other  churches  in  Georgia. 

On  one  occasion  when  some  of  his  brethren  were 
speaking  harshly  about  Whitefield  "and  ministers  of 
his  stamp,"  Simpson  thought  it  his  duty,  he  says,  "to 
speak  freely,  and  stand  up  for  the  preaching  warmly 
and  zealously  the  doctrines  of  grace,  the  necessity,  of 
regeneration,  the  catholic  practice  of  preaching  in  all 
pulpits,  employing  pious  ministers  of  every  denomina- 
tion, and  holding  occasional  communion  with  all  sound 
Protestants,  with  all  Christians  who  held  of  the  glori- 
ous Head,  and  both  lay  and  ministerial  communion." 

Many  times  Mr.  Simpson  went  back  to  visit  the 
people  of  Wilton.  He  rejoiced  to  see  the  handsome 
new  house  of  worship  which  they  had  built  and  he 
entered  it  and  preached.  Several  times  the  people  tried 
to  make  amends  for  the  work  of  that  early  day  during 
his  ministry,  when  he  was  barred  out  of  the  old 
church.  They  called  him  to  become  their  pastor  again, 
but  he  refused  to  accept  the  invitation.  Not  far 
from  his  home  on  Stoney  Creek  he  founded  the 
Saltketcher  Church.  He  travelled  much  on  horseback 
to  carry  the  story  of  his  Master's  sacrifice  to  the  people 
of  the  region  near  the  coast.  At  the  same  time,  also, 
he  was  writing  in  his  diary  those  daily  notes  that  tell 
us  about  the  upbuilding  of  God's  kingdom  in  lowei* 
South  Carolina. 

A  wasting  fever  seized  Archibald  Simpson  and  his 
wife  and  carried  them  both  down  to  the  gates  of  death. 
The  beloved  wife  passed  through  the  gates  to  dwell 
with  the  Redeemer.  Simpson  himself  was  brought  back 
to  health.  Afterwards  he  took  his  three  daughters  to 
Scotland  to  enter  them  at  school  (1772).  Then  the 
war  of  the  Revolution  came  on  and  he  was  unable  to  se- 


Archibald  Simpson  89 

cure  passage  back  to  Charles  Town.  He  preached,  there- 
fore, to  a  congregation  near  Glasgow,  although  his 
heart  was  with  his  people  in  South  Carolina.  After 
the  Revolution,  he  came  again  to  his  former  home  near 
Beaufort.  All  was  desolate  because  of  the  ravages  of 
the  British  soldiers.  His  cattle  and  horses  had  been 
carried  away.  With  a  troubled  heart  he  went  to  look 
at  the  tombs  of  his  wife  and  four  children  who  had 
died.  He  found  "the  once  beautiful  fields"  around 
his  house  all  in  a  state  of  desolation ;  "no  garden,  no 
enclosure,  no  mulberry,  no  fruit  trees,  nothing  but 
wild  fennel,  bushes,  underwood,  briars,  to  be  seen, — 
and  a  very  ruinous  habitation.  Some  young  negroes 
were  at  work  in  the  woods.  They  saw  me  and  ran  with 
transports  of  joy,  holding  me  by  the  knees  as  I  sat  on 
horseback,  and  directly  ran  off  to  the  plantation  to 
give  notice  to  Mr.  Lambert  [the  overseer].  They  asked 
me  if  I  was  going  to  leave  them  after  they  had  stayed 
on  the  plantation  when  the  British  wanted  them  to  go 
away." 

James  Gourlay,  a  Scot,  had  been  the  minister  in 
Archibald  Simpson's  field  during  a  part  of  the  period 
of  the  latter's  absence.  Simpson  left  Gourlay  there 
and  returned  to  Scotland,  where  he  passed  away  at  an 
advanced  age. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

WILLIAM  RICHARDSON  OP  THE  WAXHAWS  IN   SOUTH 
CAROLINA. 

We  have  seen  that  in  November,  1755,  Hugh  McAden 
preached  at  the  meeting-house  in  the  Waxhaws.  The 
night  afterwards,  he  went  to  the  house  of  Justice  Pick- 
ens, the  father  of  General  Andrew  Pickens,  a  soldier  of 
the  Revolution.  Waxhaws  is  the  name  still  given  to  the 
district  east  of  the  Catawba  River,  lying  on  the  border 
where  Union  County,  North  Carolina,  and  Lancaster 
Count}'^,  South  Carolina,  are  joined  together.  This  en- 
tire region  was  occupied  by  Scots  from  Ireland.  For  a 
few  months  in  1756  Robert  Miller  preached  to  the  peo- 
ple of  the  Waxhaws  under  the  shade  of  the  trees.  A 
log  house  for  worship  was  built  among  the  trees  and  in 
1759  William  Richardson  began  his  work  there  as  min- 
ister. 

William  Richardson  was  born  in  England  and  was 
educated  at  the  University  of  Glasgow,  Scotland.  One 
of  his  fellow-students  in  Glasgow  was  Archibald  Simp- 
son. The  latter  made  the  following  entry  in  his  journal 
with  reference  to  a  certain  Saturday  in  the  autumn  of 
the  year  1748:  "Spent  the  entire  afternoon,  with  my 
friend  W.  R.,  in  the  field,  in  prayer,  praise,  and  reading 
God's  Word."  The  two  students  parted,  and  both 
afterwards  came  to  America.  Richardson  found  a 
home  under  the  roof  of  Samuel  Davies  in  Hanover, 
Virginia,  and  was  there  led  into  the  gospel  ministry. 
In  1759  Simpson  was  pastor  of  the  church  at  Stoney 
Creek,  near  the  South  Carolina  coast.     On  the  16th  of 

90 


William  Richardson  91 

April  in  that  year  he  wrote  in  his  diary  as  follows : — 
"Dear  old  comrade  W.  R.  [William  Richardson]  came 
to  my  house.  He  was  licensed  and  ordained  by  a  Pres- 
bytery in  Virginia  [Hanover].  Had  gone  some  months 
ago  a  missionary  to  the  Cherokee  Indians,  but  finding 
no  good  could  be  done  among  them  as  they  were 
inclined  to  join  the  French,  he  has  laid  down  his  mission 
and  accepted  an  invitation  from  a  people  at  the  Wax- 
haws,  about  two  hundred  miles  beyond  Charles  Town ; 
is  come  down  to  join  Presbytery  and  accept  their  call, 
they  being  in  our  bounds."  Richardson  preached  for 
his  friend  Simpson  at  Pon  Pon  and  at  Beaufort.  Then 
on  the  16th  of  May  Richardson  was  formally  received 
as  a  member  of  the  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina,  and 
order  was  taken  to  install  him  as  chief  shepherd  at  the 
Waxhaws. 

Far  and  wide  throughout  the  region  near  the  head- 
waters of  the  Catawba  and  Broad  rivers  in  the  upper 
part  of  South  Carolina,  Richardson  made  many  jour- 
neys as  a  preacher  of  the  gospel.  We  are  told  that 
messengers  who  had  come  from  distant  settlements, 
were  often  seen  riding  to  his  home  to  ask  him  to  come 
to  teach  them  the  way  of  life.  Nancy,  one  of  the  daugh- 
ters of  Alexander  Craighead,  of  Sugar  Creek,  in  Meck- 
lenburg, became  the  wife  of  Richardson  and  she  helped 
him  much  in  his  great  work.  Providence,  one  of  Craig- 
head's churches,  which  stands  in  the  grove  of  oaks 
about  twelve  miles  south  of  Charlotte,  in  INIecklenburg, 
was  for  a  time  one  of  Richardson's  regular  places  for 
preaching.  During  the  early  part  of  his  ministry 
churches  were  organized,  in  part  through  his  labors, 
as  follows :  Catholic  and  Purity  churches  in  the  present 
Chester  County,  Fishing  Creek  Church,  in  York  County, 
Fair  Forest  Church,  on  Tyger  River,  in  Union  County, 
and  the  Indian  Creek  and  Grassy  Spring  churches,  in 
Xcwberry  County,  South  Carolina.  One  of  the  congre- 
gations that  was  established  afterwards  as  the  result  of 


92  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

his  labors  was  Union  Church  in  the  center  of  Union 
County.  In  1764  Richardson  rode  into  the  northern 
part  of  the  present  York  County,  South  Carolina, 
preached  to  the  Scots  of  that  region,  and  then  organ- 
ized them  into  a  church  that  was  named  Bethel  Church. 
About  1769,  Bethesda  Church  in  York  County  was 
organized  and  this  was  probably  also  the  work  of 
Richardson.  Nazareth  Church  in  Spartanburg  County 
and  many  other  houses  of  worship  were  established 
about  the  same  time. 

In  February,  1756,  a  number  of  Scotch  families  built 
homes  on  Long  Cane  Creek  in  the  present  Abbeville 
County,  South  Carolina.  Most  of  these  settlers  bore 
the  name  of  Calhoun.  Among  them  was  Patrick 
Calhoun,  whose  first  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Alexander 
Craighead.  After  her  death,  Patrick  Calhoun  married 
a  daughter  of  another  Scotch  settler,  John  Caldwell, 
and  she  became  the  mother  of  John  Caldwell  Calhoun, 
South  Carolina's  great  statesman. 

In  February,  1760,  the  Cherokee  Indians  attacked 
the  Calhoun  settlement  at  Long  Cane  and  there  killed 
and  captured  a  large  number  of  people.  The  rest  fled 
away,  some  of  them  to  the  Waxhaws.  Afterwards  they 
went  back  and  built  again  their  houses  at  Long  Cane. 
In  1764,  William  Richardson  made  a  visit  to  this  set- 
tlement, preached  the  gospel  to  the  people  and  bap- 
tized many  of  their  children.  Within  a  few  years  after 
this  visit,  a  number  of  congregations  were  organized  in 
Abbeville  County,  and  these  churches  began  at  once  to 
ask  for  shepherds. 

William  Richardson  adopted  as  his  own  son,  his 
nephew  from  England,  who  was  named  William  Rich- 
ardson Davie.  The  boy  was  sent  to  the  Queen's 
Museum  at  Charlotte  and  then  to  Princeton  College. 
When  the  war  of  the  Revolution  came,  Davie  spent  the 
estate  which  the  great  preacher  left  him  in  buying  guns 
and  horses   for  that  famous  body   of  North  Carolina 


William  Richardson  93 

horsemen  who  fought  so  well  against  the  King  of 
England. 

William  Richardson's  body  was  vigorous,  but  his 
labors  were  continuous  and  heavy.  The  long  rides 
through  the  forests  and  across  deep  streams  wore  out 
his  strength.  Moreover,  he  fasted  much,  praying  all 
the  time.  Sickness  came  and  with  it  despondency.  One 
day  Mr.  Richardson  was  found  dead  in  his  room.  A 
story  was  spread  abroad  that  he  had  died  by  his  own 
hand.  On  the  contrary,  the  journal  of  his  life-long 
friend,  Archibald  Simpson,  contains  this  record: 

"His  death  was  something  remarkable.  He  was  of 
a  strong  and  robust  make,  and  in  general  healthy,  but 
of  a  heavy,  melancholic  disposition,  subject  from  his 
very  youth  to  vapory  disorders.  His  labors  for  some 
years  were  very  great.  About  three  or  four  years  ago 
he  began  to  decline;  his  vapory  disorders  increased,  his 
intellect  seemed  to  fail.  He  turned  very  deaf  and  lost 
much  of  his  spirits  and  liveliness  in  preaching,  but  was 
still  very  useful  to  his  own  people.  About  three  months 
ago,  he  seemed  sickly,  but  his  people  and  family  thought 
he  fancied  himself  worse  than  he  was,  as  he  did  not 
keep  his  bed,  but  appeared  as  usual,  and  only  kept 
his  house.  Some  time  in  June  [1771],  one  of  his  elders 
was  visiting  him,  and  in  order  to  divert  him,  had  entered 
into  some  argument  with  him,  in  which  Mr.  R.  talked 
with  a  good  deal  of  spirit,  and  afterwards  went  upstairs 
to  his  room,  but  was  to  be  down  to  dinner  as  usual. 
Accordingly  when  dinner  had  waited  for  some  time,  they 
went  upstairs  and  found  him  dead  on  his  knees,  one 
hand  holding  the  back  of  a  chair  and  the  other  lifted 
up  as  in  prayer.  So  that  he  seemed  to  have  expired 
in  the  act  of  devotion,  and  to  all  appearance  had  been 
dead  some  time ;  a  most  desirable  death  indeed.  O 
Lord  God!  let  me  die  the  death  of  the  righteous  and 
let  my  latter  end  be  like  his." 

Upon  the  stone  that  marks  the  place  where  William 


94  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

Richardson's    body    rests   in   the   old  Waxhaws   burial 
ground,  there  is  this  tribute: 

He  lived  to  purpose; 
He  preached  with  fidelity ; 
He  prayed  for  his  people; 
And  being  dead  he  speaks. 

A  part  of  his  property  was  left  for  the  use  of  his 
wife  and  adopted  son,  A  considerable  sum  was  set 
apart  to  buy  books  for  the  poor  people  among  the 
churches  to  which  he  had  given  his  life. 


CHAPTER  XV 

HENRY    PATTILLO    AND    DAVID    CALDWELL    ORGANIZE    THE 
PRESBYTERY  OF  ORANGE  IN  THE  CAROLINAS. 

On  the  12th  of  July,  1758,  the  Presbytery  of  Hanover 
met  at  Captain  Anderson's  house  in  Cumberland 
County,  Virginia.  Two  young  men  who  had  been 
already  licensed  to  preach,  offered  themselves  for  ordi- 
nation. Their  names  were  Henry  Pattillo  and  William 
Richardson.  Samuel  Davies,  moderator  of  the  Pres- 
bytery, preached  the  sermon.  Then  the  two  young 
men  knelt  down  and  the  hands  of  the  members  of  the 
Presbytery  were  laid  upon  them.  Thus  were  they  sol- 
emnly appointed  unto  the  ministry.  Richardson  was 
sent  out  as  a  missionary  to  the  Cherokees  and  finally 
found  his  field  of  work  in  the  Waxhaws  and  the  neigh- 
boring regions.  Pattillo  took  some  time  to  settle  in 
his  chief  place  of  labor. 

Pattillo  was  a  Scot.  In  his  early  years  he  came 
from  Scotland  to  the  colony  of  Virginia.  At  first  he 
was  a  clerk  in  a  store.  Then  he  became  a  teacher  and 
while  engaged  in  the  work  of  instructing  the  children 
committed  to  his  care  he  gave  his  heart  to  Christ.  At 
once  Pattillo  became  a  personal  worker  in  behalf  of  his 
Master.  He  sought  individual  men  and  women  and 
pleaded  with  them  to  become  Christians.  Then  he  deter- 
mined to  become  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  and  in  1751 
he  went  to  live  in  the  house  of  Samuel  Davies  in  Han- 
over. There  he  went  through  a  course  of  study  under 
the  guidance  of  Davies. 

On  the  10th  of  August,  1754,  Pattillo  began  to  write 
in  a  journal  an  account  of  his  daily  experiences.     His 

96 


96  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

reasons  for  writing  were  chiefly  that  he  might  mark 
his  "growth  or  decay  in  the  divine  life,"  and  "accu- 
rately observe  the  workings  of  my  own  heart  and  the 
methods  the  Lord  may  take  for  my  reclamation  in  my 
strayings  from  him." 

In  1755,  before  his  course  of  study  was  completed, 
Pattillo  married  a  wife.  He  began  teaching  again  in 
order  to  gain  a  support  for  his  wife  and  himself.  They 
went  to  live  in  a  "house  16  by  12  and  an  outside  chim- 
ney, with  an  8-foot  shed, — a  little  chimney  to  it."  This 
was  both  home  and  schoolroom.  Six  small  pupils  came 
to  him  each  day  to  be  taught.  One  day  in  June,  175T,  a 
stroke  of  lightning  shattered  the  chimney  attached  to 
the  shed.  No  harm  was  done  to  the  six  pupils  nor  to 
the  members  of  Pattillo's  family.  The  writing  in  the 
journal  was  brought  to  a  close,  however,  for  that  was 
the  last  day  on  which  he  made  an  entry  in  it.  For 
about  six  years  after  his  ordination  Pattillo  preached 
to  various  congregations  in  Virginia.  In  1765  he 
was  called  to  Hawfields,  Eno  and  Little  River  in  the 
northern  part  of  North  Carolina.  He  came  at  once 
and  during  the  next  thirty-five  years  gave  his  life  to 
the  churches  in  Orange  and  Granville  counties.  In 
1780  he  became  pastor  of  Nutbush  and  Grassy  Creek 
in  Granville  County.  These  congregations  were  at  first 
made  up  of  settlers  from  Hanover  and  the  adjacent 
counties  of  Virginia. 

In  1764,  a  year  before  his  permanent  establishment 
in  North  Carolina,  Pattillo  made  a  brief  journey  to 
that  colony  and  founded  the  church  of  Alamance,  near 
Greensboro.  After  his  regular  pastorate  began  Pattillo 
established  a  classical  school  among  his  people  and  this 
he  kept  up  for  many  years. 

When  the  first  provincial  or  colonial  Congress  of 
North  Carolina  met  in  the  town  of  Hillsboro,  Pattillo 
took  his  seat  in  that  body  as  a  delegate.  Every  morn- 
ing during  its  sessions  he  led  the  Congress  in  prayer. 


Henry  Pattillo  and  David  Caldwell  97 

On  one  important  occasion  he  sat  in  the  presiding 
officer's  seat  as  chairman  of  the  Congress. 

In  1801,  when  Pattillo,  then  an  old  man,  lay  on  his 
deathbed,  a  friend  asked  him,  "Where  is  your  hope 
now?"  The  minister  opened  his  eyes,  and  with  both 
hands  pointed  upward  as  if  to  indicate  "that  heaven," 
says  an  eye-witness,  "which  had  been  the  object  of  his 
fervent  prayers,  and  to  which  he  had  constantly  looked 
forward  as  the  place  of  his  everlasting  rest." 

The  associate  of  Pattillo  in  the  northern  part  of 
North  Carolina  was  David  Caldwell.  He  was  of 
Scotch  descent  and  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  As  a 
young  man  he  became  a  carpenter  and  worked  at  that 
trade  until  he  was  twenty-five  years  of  age.  Then  he 
became  a  Christian  and  resolved  to  become  a  preacher 
of  the  gospel.  He  sought  an  education  with  all  the 
eagerness  of  a  strong,  earnest  man.  Night  and  day  he 
toiled  at  the  courses  of  study  that  were  set  before  him. 
While  he  was  a  student  at  Princeton  College,  it  was 
his  habit  in  warm  weather,  he  said,  to  sit  with  his  books 
before  him  on  a  table  near  an  open  window.  He  studied 
in  this  manner  until  a  late  hour  at  night.  Then  he 
would  "cross  his  arms  on  the  table,  lay  his  head  on 
them,  and  sleep  in  that  position  until  morning."  In 
the  year  1761,  when  Caldwell  was  thirty-six  years  of 
age,  he  completed  the  courses  of  study  at  Princeton  and 
was  given  a  collegiate  degree. 

In  1765  Caldwell  came  to  North  Carolina  as  an 
ordained  minister  to  become  shepherd  of  the  two  con- 
gregations of  Buffalo  and  Alamance,  near  Greensboro. 
In  the  following  year  (1766)  he  married  Rachel,  third 
daughter  of  Alexander  Craighead,  of  Mecklenburg. 
Soon  afterwards  he  established  in  his  own  house  a  clas- 
sical school,  which  was  continued  as  a  fountain  of  learn- 
ing and  of  piety  for  many  years.  Five  of  Caldwell's 
students  became  governors  of  states,  several  of  them 
were  made  judges,  about  fifty  became  ministers  of  the 


98  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

gospel,  and  a  large  number  were  lawyers  and  doctors. 
His  school  was  academy,  college  and  theological  semi- 
nary, for  the  ministers  whom  he  taught  received  from 
him  their  theological  education  as  well  as  their  Latin, 
Greek  and  Hebrew. 

Many  of  the  young  men  who  had  entered  Caldwell's 
school  as  careless,  irreligious  boys,  became  Christians 
through  his  influence  and  then  entered  the  ranks  of  the 
ministry.  Eli  W.  Caruthers,  who  succeeded  Caldwell  as 
pastor  of  the  two  churches,  tells  us  that  he  and  nine  of 
his  schoolmates  were  drawn  into  the  gospel  ministry 
by  their  teacher,  David  Caldwell.  The  wife  of  Cald- 
well, however,  had  much  to  do  in  leading  the  students 
into  the  service  of  Christ.  The  treasures  of  her  kind- 
ness, her  judgment  and  her  intelligence  were  all 
bestowed  upon  the  young  men  who  were  members  of 
her  household.  New  courage  was  given  to  many  a  faint 
hearted  youth  who  grew  weary  in  the  path  of  learning. 
Her  sympathy  and  hopefulness  were  infused  into  the 
hearts  of  the  students.  It  was  said  that  "Doctor  Cald- 
well makes  the  scholars  and  Mrs.  Caldwell  makes  the 
ministers." 

David  Caldwell's  days  were  filled  with  labor.  Every 
morning  at  four  o'clock  he  arose  and  began  his  studies. 
Five  days  in  the  week  he  gave  to  the  management  of 
his  school  of  fifty  or  sixty  boys.  As  there  was  no  phy- 
sician in  the  neighborhood,  he  read  books  on  the  practice 
of  medicine  and  then  made  long  journeys  to  visit  the 
sick.  Every  member  of  his  two  large  congregations 
was  questioned  in  the  Catechism  twice  a  year.  There 
were  four  communions  a  year  and  each  season  of  this 
kind  lasted  four  days.  Besides  all  of  these  duties,  he 
laid  upon  himself  the  work  of  carrying  the  gospel  mes- 
sage into  congregations  that  were  without  a  minister. 

In  March,  1770,  a  petition  was  sent  to  the  Synod 
of  New  York  and  Philadelphia  asking  for  a  presby- 
tery in  the  Carolinas.    In  May  the  petition  was  granted 


Henry  Pattillo  and  David  Caldwell  99 

and  Hugh  McAdoii,  Henry  Pattillo,  James  Creswell, 
David  Caldwell,  Joseph  Alexander,  Hczekiah  Balch  and 
Hezekiah  James  Balch  were  set  apart  as  Orange  Pres- 
bytery. They  met  at  the  Hawfields  Church  and  Pattillo 
opened  the  work  of  the  presbytery  with  a  sermon. 

In  1770  the  county  of  Guilford  was  marked  off  from 
the  counties  of  Orange  and  Rowan.  Caldwell's  con- 
gregation of  Buffalo  lay  in  the  center  of  the  new 
county  embracing  Guilford  Court  House,  the  county 
seat.  In  the  following  year  (1771)  a  number  of  people 
in  this  region,  who  called  themselves  Regulators, 
refused  to  pay  taxes  and  to  submit  to  the  colonial 
government.  A  few  of  the  members  of  Caldwell's 
churches  were  among  them.  Governor  Tryon  marched 
against  the  Regulators  with  an  army  and  met  them 
at  Alamance.  Caldwell  pleaded  with  both  parties  not 
to  fight.  While  the  two  lines  of  battle  were  only  three 
hundred  yards  apart,  the  men  standing  ready  with 
loaded  rifles,  Caldwell  rode  along  the  line  of  the  Regu- 
lators and  urged  them  to  go  home.  The  command  was 
given  and  the  firing  began.  Then  Caldwell  gave  up  his 
efforts  to  keep  the  peace  and  the  Regulators  were 
defeated  and  scattered.  A  few  years  later  Caldwell 
heard  the  crash  of  the  rifles  at  Guilford,  near  his  home, 
when  the  men  of  the  Southern  colonies  met  the  army  of 
Cornwallis  and  forced  it  to  march  out  of  the  Carolinas. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

CHAEIiES  CUMMINGS  AND  SAMUEL  DOAK  ON  THE  HOLSTON 

RIVER. 

In  the  summer  of  1773,  a  man  whose  age  was  about 
forty  years,  rode  through  the  forest  into  the  valley  of 
the  Holston  River  in  southwest  Virginia.  He  had 
received  a  call  to  become  the  preacher  and  pastor  of 
the  people  of  the  Holston  country.  The  call  bore  the 
signatures  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  heads  of  families 
living  in  that  region.  Virtually  all  of  these  signers 
were  Scots.  They  were  a  part  of  that  stream  of  settlers 
from  the  North  of  Ireland  who  were  then  slowly  moving 
through  the  Valley  of  Virginia  into  Tennessee  and  Ken- 
tucky. Among  the  names  attached  to  the  Presbyterian 
minister's  call  were  those  of  the  families  of  Blackburn, 
Vance,  Logan,  Edmondson,  Trimble,  Christian,  Bu- 
chanan, Montgomery  and  Campbell. 

The  young  prophet  thus  asked  to  dwell  on  the 
Holston  was  named  Charles  Cummings.  He  was  born 
in  North  Ireland,  but  at  an  early  age  came  to  Virginia 
and  found  his  way  to  James  Waddell's  congregation  in 
Lancaster  County.  There  he  maintained  himself  as  a 
teacher.  In  the  course  of  time  he  married  Milly 
Carter,  daughter  of  John  Carter  of  that  region.  No 
doubt  it  was  the  influence  of  Waddell  that  led  Cum- 
mings into  the  ministry.  In  April,  1776,  he  was 
licensed  to  preach,  by  Hanover  Presbytery,  and  at  once 
began  to  deliver  his  message  at  Brown's  meeting-house, 
in  Augusta  County.  Then  the  call  came  from  the  one 
hundred  and  twenty  leading  men  of  the  Ebbing  Spring 
and  the  Sinking  Spring  congregations  on  the  Holston, 

100 


Charles  Cummings  and  Samuel  Doak         101 

and  Cummings  went  to  their  aid.  He  built  a  house  for 
his  family  near  the  present  town  of  Abingdon. 

The  first  church  erected  for  Cummings  at  Sinking 
Spring  was  a  log-cabin  of  rough  logs,  about  eighty  feet 
long  and  forty  feet  wide.  The  church  at  Ebbing  Spring 
was  of  the  same  shape,  but  not  so  large.  Every  Sunday 
morning,  we  are  told,  it  was  the  habit  of  Cummings  to 
dress  himself  neatly,  then  put  on  his  bullet  pouch, 
mount  his  horse  and,  with  his  rifle  in  his  hand,  ride 
off  to  one  of  his  churches.  Each  man  in  the  congre- 
gation also  brought  a  rifle  to  the  church  and  usually 
held  it  in  his  hands  during  the  time  of  public  worship. 
This  was  done  to  guard  against  any  sudden  attack 
that  the  Indians  might  make  against  them.  When 
Cummings  went  into  the  pulpit,  he  was  in  the  habit  of 
setting  his  rifle  in  a  corner  near  him.  Then  he  took  off 
his  bullet  pouch  and  began  the  religious  service. 

Cummings  was  about  five  feet  ten  inches  in  height, 
and  his  figure  was  well  formed.  His  manner  was  marked 
by  great  firmness  and  dignity.  His  articulation  was 
clear  and  distinct  and  his  voice  was  so  strong  that  with- 
out apparent  effort,  it  was  said,  "he  could  speak  to  be 
heard  by  ten  thousand  people."  The  mind  of  Cum- 
mings was  strong;  he  had  a  clear  understanding  of  the 
system  of  religion  in  which  he  believed,  and  he  set  it 
before  the  people  with  solemn  earnestness.  He  insisted, 
also,  that  this  same  solemnity  must  be  shown  by  all  who 
listened  to  him.  "He  could  not  tolerate  any  movement 
among  the  congregation  after  preaching  commenced. 
He  uniformily  spoke  like  one  having  authority,  and  laid 
down  the  law  and  the  gospel  with  great  distinctness  as 
he  understood  them." 

Like  the  other  ministers  of  that  time,  Mr.  Cummings 
began  the  service  early  in  the  day,  and  preached  two 
sermons,  one  in  the  morning  and  another  in  the  after- 
noon to  the  same  congregation.  Twice  a  year  the  sac- 
ramental   table   was    placed   before   the   people   in   the 


102  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

grove  of  trees  near  the  church.  At  Sinking  Spring  he 
preached,  we  are  told,  "to  one  of  the  largest,  most  re- 
spectable and  most  intelligent  congregations  ever  as- 
sembled in  western  Virginia.  His  congregation  at 
Ebbing  Spring  was  equally  respectable  and  intelligent, 
but  not  so  large." 

A  large  plantation  called  the  Royal  Oak,  on  the 
Holston  River,  was  the  home  of  that  branch  of  the 
Campbell  family  of  which  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell 
was  a  member.  General  William  Campbell,  a  cousin  of 
Arthur,  lived  in  the  same  county.  The  members  of 
both  of  these  households  attended  the  churches  of 
Charles  Cummings.  On  a  little  hill  south  of  Abingdon, 
"and  on  the  spot  where  David  Campbell's  gate  stands," 
a  fort  was  built  to  protect  the  settlers  against  Indians. 
To  that  fort  Cummings  always  took  his  family  in  times 
of  danger.  In  July,  1776,  Cummings  left  his  family 
in  the  fort,  and  with  three  of  his  neighbors  and  a  ser- 
vant, started  in  a  wagon  toward  his  farm.  Not  far 
from  the  church  a  body  of  Indians  attacked  them.  The 
driver  of  the  wagon  was  killed  at  the  first  fire  and,  a 
little  later,  the  two  other  neighbors  were  wounded. 
Cummings  and  his  servant,  whose  name  was  Job,  both 
of  them  armed  with  good  rifles,  kept  up  the  fight  and 
drove  the  Indians  away.  Friends  ran  out  from  the  fort 
and  helped  to  bring  in  the  men  who  had  been  shot  down. 
In  October,  1776,  Cummings  went  with  Colonel  William 
Christian's  expedition  against  the  Cherokee  Indians  in 
the  Tennessee  country.  Joseph  Rhea,  another  preacher, 
also  marched  with  the  soldiers.  Cummings  and  Rhea 
preached  to  the  men  at  every  camping-place  along  the 
way,  with  their  rifles  always  near  at  hand.  This  was 
the  first  regular  preaching  of  the  gospel  within  the  pres- 
ent State  of  Tennessee. 

The  first  minister  who  made  his  home  in  Tennessee, 
however,  was  Samuel  Doak.  He  was  born  of  Scotch- 
Irish  parentage  in  the  year  1749,  within  the  limits  of 


Charles  Cummings  and  Samuel  Doak         103 

the  New  Providence  congregation,  in  what  is  now  Rock- 
bridge County,  Virginia.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  be- 
came a  Christian.  His  early  training  was  received  at 
the  academy  which  was  maintained  by  John  Brown, 
pastor  of  New  Providence.  In  1773,  Doak  entered 
Princeton  College  and  remained  two  years.  Then  he 
became  an  assistant  in  Hampden-Sidney  College,  in 
Prince  Edward  County,  Virginia,  and  at  the  same  time 
studied  theology  under  the  direction  of  John  Blair 
Smith,  president  of  the  college.  In  October,  1777,  he 
was  licensed  to  preach  by  Hanover  Presbytery,  and 
soon  afterwards  established  himself  as  a  minister  in  the 
Holston  settlement  in  Tennessee,  where  he  founded  New 
Bethel,  known  as  the  Fork  Church.  At  a  later  time  he 
removed  to  the  Little  Limestone,  in  Washington  County, 
Tennessee,  where  he  built  a  church  and  a  school  house 
on  his  own  land  and  organized  Salem  congregation. 
Doak's  school  was  afterwards  known  as  Washington 
College.  In  1818  he  removed  to  Bethel  congregation, 
in  Greene  County,  and  there  founded  Tusculum  College. 
We  shall  learn  later  how  Cummings  and  Doak  took 
part  in  the  defence  of  their  country,  and  how  they 
labored  to  establish  freedom  in  religion,  as  well  as  free- 
dom in  civil  government. 


Part  II. — Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders  During 
THE  American  Revolution,  1774-1789. 

CHAPTER  XVII 

THE  HANOVEE  PRESBYTERY  LEADS  THE  FIGHT  IN  BEHALF 
OP    FREEDOM    IN    RELIGION 

The  right  to  worship  when  and  where  and  in  what 
manner  they  pleased — this  was  the  freedom  claimed  by 
the  members  of  the  Hanover  Presbytery  at  the  time  of 
its  organization  in  1755.  This  claim  was  granted  in 
part,  as  we  have  seen,  for  the  reason  that  the  Presby- 
terians fought  so  well  against  the  French  and  Indians 
on  the  frontier.  Another  reason  why  the  claim  was 
more  and  more  allowed  was  that  the  Presbyterians  won 
friends  for  their  cause  among  the  members  of  the  Epis- 
copal Church.  A  great  leader  among  these  friends  was 
Patrick  Henry. 

Henry  grew  up  as  a  lad  in  Hanover  County,  Virginia, 
near  the  home  of  Samuel  Davies.  Henry's  mother  was 
a  member  of  Samuel  Davies's  church  and  attended  the 
preaching  of  that  fervent  speaker.  The  boy,  Patrick, 
went  with  her  during  the  period  from  his  eleventh  to 
his  twenty-second  year,  and  sat  in  the  church  to  drink 
in  the  teaching  and  the  eloquence  of  Davies,  Todd,  Wad- 
dell  and  other  members  of  the  presbytery.  In  later  years 
Patrick  Henry  often  said  that  Davies  and  Waddell 
were  the  greatest  orators  that  he  had  ever  heard.  When 
Henry  grew  up  he  became  a  lawyer.  In  his  first  great 
speech  in  a  law  court  he  made  himself  famous  by  utter- 
ing opinions  which,  no  doubt,  he  learned  directly  from 
Davies,  Waddell  and  Todd.  This  speech  was  made  in 
1763  in  the  case  known  as  the  Parsons'  Cause. 

104 


Religious  Freedom  105 

Since  the  year  1696  there  had  been  a  law  in  Virginia 
which  required  that  the  clergymen  of  the  Established, 
or  Episcopal  Church,  should  receive  their  salaries  in 
tobacco.  Sixteen  thousand  pounds  was  the  amount  of 
tobacco  to  be  paid  each  year  to  each  cleryman.  When 
tobacco  became  scarce  this  law  was  repealed,  and  the 
Virginia  Assembly,  in  1758,  passed  another  law,  called 
the  Twopenny  Act,  allowing  the  people  to  pay  their 
clergymen  at  the  low  rate  of  two  pence  for  each  pound 
of  tobacco  promised  in  the  way  of  salary.  The  King 
of  England  vetoed  this  act.  In  many  of  the  counties 
of  Virginia,  however,  the  people  gave  no  heed  to  the 
veto,  but  paid  the  salaries  in  money  at  the  reduced  rate. 

John  Camm,  Episcopal  minister  at  Williamsburg, 
wrote  a  paper  in  which  he  said  that  the  new  law  made 
by  the  assembly  was  unjust.  Colonel  Richard  Bland 
and  Colonel  Landon  Carter,  members  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  wrote  a  severe  reply  to  Camm  in  which  they 
asserted  that  the  Virginia  lawmakers  were  right,  Camm 
wrote  again  in  reply,  and  this  second  paper  he  called 
"The  Colonels  Dismounted."  The  Colonels  replied  to 
this,  and  asserted  that  they  had  not  been  overthrown 
in  the  debate.  The  sympathies  of  many  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Episcopal  Church  were  enlisted  with  Bland 
and  Carter  against  the  claims  made  by  Camm.  The 
chief  reason  for  this  was  the  unworthy  character  of 
many  of  the  Episcopal  ministers,  who  had  come  from 
England  to  live  in  the  colony  of  Virginia.  With  ref- 
erence to  the  Episcopal  clergy  of  that  time,  William 
Meade,  late  Bishop  of  Virginia,  has  told  us  that  they 
were  men  "who  could  not  find  promotion  and  employ- 
ment at  home,"  that  is,  in  England.  As  shepherds  of 
the  churches  in  Virginia,  Bishop  Meade  says  that  they 
were  "insufficient  as  to  numbers  and  worse  as  to  char- 
acter." 

These  facts  about  the  Episcopal  ministry  were  well 
known,  of  course,  to  Samuel  Davies.     In  his  letter  to 


106  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

the  Bishop  of  London,  however,  Davies  said:  "In  all 
the  sermons  I  have  preached  in  Virginia,  I  have  not 
wasted  one  minute  in  exclaiming  or  reasoning  against 
the  peculiarities  of  the  Established  [Episcopal]  Church, 
nor  so  much  as  assigned  the  reasons  of  my  own  non- 
conformity. I  have  not  exhausted  my  zeal  in  railing 
against  the  established  clergy,  in  exposing  their  imper- 
fections, some  of  which  lie  naked  to  my  view;  or  in 
depreciating  their  characters."  "The  plain  truth  is," 
said  Davies,  further,  "a  general  reformation  must  be 
promoted  in  this  colony  by  some  means  or  other,  or 
multitudes  are  eternally  undone ;  and  I  see  alas !  but 
little  ground  to  hope  for  it  from  the  generality  of  the 
clergy  here."  To  these  clergymen  themselves  Davies 
once  wrote  that  he  had  "no  ambition  to  Presbyterianize 
the  colony."  He  declared  that  he  had  only  a  sincere 
desire  to  spread  "the  catholic  religion  of  Jesus  in  its 
life  and  power,"  and  that  he  felt  "little  anxiety  about 
the  denomination  its  genuine  members  assume."  Purity 
in  religion,  we  thus  already  see,  was  that  which  Davies 
attempted  to  uphold  in  Virginia.  This  same  purity 
was  the  starting-point  in  Patrick  Henry's  great  speech 
in  the  court  house  of  Hanover  County  in  1763. 

After  the  debate  between  John  Camm  and  the  two 
Colonels,  Bland  and  Carter,  an  Episcopal  minister, 
whose  name  was  James  Maury,  brought  suit  in  the 
County  Court  of  Hanover  for  the  full  amount  of  his 
salary  in  tobacco.  The  old  law  was  in  Maury's  favor. 
Since  the  King  had  vetoed  the  new  law  of  1758,  the 
county  magistrates  decided  that  the  people  of  Maury's 
parish  must  pay  him  in  accordance  with  the  old  law. 
But  how  much  must  they  give  him  as  "back  pay"? 
A  jury  was  called  to  settle  this  amount.  At  this  point 
Patrick  Henry  entered  the  case  to  speak  for  the  people 
of  the  parish  against  the  clergyman.  The  words 
spoken  by  Henry  on  that  occasion  with  reference  to  the 
Episcopal  clergymen  then  living  in  Virginia  were  very 


Religious  Freedom  107 

severe.  He  charged  them  with  selfishness,  and  said  that 
they  had  greater  concern  about  their  salaries  than 
about  the  souls  of  the  people.  Then  he  spoke  of  the 
King  of  England,  who  had  sent  such  ministers  into 
the  colony,  and  had  vetoed  the  law  about  salaries 
passed  by  the  Virginia  Assembly.  The  King  had  no 
right,  said  Henry,  to  veto  a  law  made  by  the  Virginia 
lawmakers  for  the  good  of  the  people.  The  King's  veto 
of  this  law  showed  that  the  King  himself  was  a  tyrant, 
he  declared,  and  that  he  had  lost  all  right  to  the  obe- 
dience of  the  people.  The  jury  was  in  sympathy  with 
Henry's  view  and  gave  Mr.  Maury  only  one  penny  in 
the  way  of  additional  pay.  The  King's  veto  was  defied. 
The  people  were  ready  to  uphold  Henry's  claim,  that 
the  Virginia  Legislature  had  the  right  to  make  laws  for 
the  colony.  Three  or  four  members  of  the  jury  that  sat 
in  the  Parsons'  Cause  were  members  of  the  congregation 
of  Samuel  Davies.  All  of  the  jurymen  lived  in  Hanover, 
whose  people  had  learned  from  Samuel  Davies  first  and 
now  were  learning  from  Patrick  Henry  the  fundamental 
principles  of  religious  and  civil  liberty. 

In  May,  1765,  Patrick  Henry  introduced  his  famous 
resolutions  in  the  Virginia  Assembly  concerning  the 
Stamp  Act.  These  resolutions  declared  that  the  Vir- 
ginia Legislature  had  the  exclusive  right  to  lay  taxes 
upon  the  Virginians,  and  that  they  would  not  submit  to 
a  tax-law  passed  by  the  British  Parliament.  This  was 
the  principle  upon  which  the  entire  American  Revolu- 
tion was  based.  Henry  made  an  impassioned  speech 
about  the  tyranny  of  the  British  King  and  Parliament, 
and  then  his  resolutions  were  passed  by  a  vote  of 
twenty-one  to  twenty,  and  thus  the  Revolution  began, 
although  the  fighting  did  not  commence  until  ten  years 
later.  Nearly  all  of  the  twenty-one  members  who  voted 
with  Patrick  Henry  on  that  memorable  day  were  dele- 
gates from  the  upper  counties  of  Virginia.  So  said 
Thomas  Jefferson,  who  was  present  when  the  vote  was 


108  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

taken.  The  upper  counties  of  Virginia,  located  in  the 
Piedmont  and  the  Valley,  were  then  occupied  by  the  con- 
gregations of  the  Hanover  Presbytery.  The  people  of 
these  sections  formed  at  that  time  the  majority  of  the 
population  of  the  colony.  Members  and  officers  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  for  the  most  part,  thus  formed 
that  party  that  stood  with  Henry  in  1765  in  favor  of 
complete  freedom  in  civil  government. 

It  was  after  this  time  that  the  Baptists  took  part  in 
the  battle.  Although  they  had  entered  Virginia  about 
1714,  the  increase  in  their  numbers  was  slow.  From 
1764  onwards  there  were  many  of  them  in  the  region 
now  known  as  Guilford  County,  North  Carolina;  a  few- 
were  also  in  South  Carolina  and  in  the  northern  parts  of 
Virginia.  Their  ministers  travelled  from  place  to  place 
preaching  the  gospel,  but  they  did  not  secure  licenses 
from  the  county  courts.  For  this  reason  some  of  them 
were  arrested  and  put  into  prison  under  the  charge 
that  they  were  disturbers  of  the  peace.  In  1768  Patrick 
Henry  used  his  great  powers  as  a  lawyer  to  gain  free- 
dom for  three  Baptist  ministers,  who  had  been  thrust 
into  prison  in  Spottsylvania  County,  Virginia.  Then 
the  Baptists  began  to  discuss  in  their  conventions  the 
right  of  ministers  to  preach  wherever  the  people  were 
willing  to  listen  to  them. 

In  1772  a  bill  was  presented  to  the  legislature,  pro- 
posing to  grant  certain  privileges  to  those  Christians 
who  were  outside  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  But  these 
outsiders,  or  dissenters,  as  they  were  called,  were  not 
pleased  with  the  proposed  law.  The  Presbytery  of 
Hanover  met  at  the  Rockfish  meeting-house  in  Nelson 
County,  Virginia,  October  15, 1773,  and  appointed  John 
Todd,  a  minister,  and  John  Morton,  a  ruling  elder,  as 
commissioners  to  attend  the  next  session  of  the  legislature 
for  the  purpose  of  guarding  the  interests  of  Presbyte- 
rians in  connection  with  the  measure  concerning  worship. 
On   November    11,    1774,   the    presbytery    met    at    the 


Religious  Freedom  109 

house  of  Colonel  William  Cabell,  of  Amherst,  to  draw 
up  a  remonstrance  against  certain  parts  of  the  bill 
then  before  the  legislature.  The  paper  began  as  fol- 
lows: "The  petition  of  the  Presbytery  of  Hanover  in 
behalf  of  themselves  and  all  the  Presbyterians  in  Vir- 
ginia, in  particular,  and  all  Protestant  dissenters,  in 
general."  The  Presbytery  called  attention,  first  of  all, 
to  the  fact  that  Governor  Gooch  in  1738  had  given  in 
writing  "the  most  ample  assurances"  that  Presbyterians 
"should  enjoy  the  full  and  free  exercise  of  their  religion 
and  all  the  other  privileges  of  good  subjects."  Resting 
upon  this  agreement  "several  thousand  families  of  Pres- 
byterians" had  made  homes  in  the  frontier  parts  of  the 
colony  of  Virginia,  and  had  there  formed  a  barrier 
against  Indian  attacks.  In  view  of  these  facts,  the 
Presbyterians  asked  to  be  treated  "upon  an  equal  foot- 
ing" with  their  fellow  citizens  of  Virginia.  They  were 
ready,  ran  the  memorial  of  the  presbytery,  to  have  all 
their  places  of  worship  entered  upon  a  registry  book, 
but  at  the  same  time  they  wished  permission  for  their 
ministers  to  preach  wherever  they  found  it  convenient 
to  do  so.  "The  number  of  Presbyterians  in  this  prov- 
ince is  now  very  great,"  they  said,  "and  the  number  of 
clergymen  but  small ;  therefore,  we  are  obliged  fre- 
quently to  itinerate  and  preach  through  various  parts 
of  the  colony  that  our  people  may  have  an  opportunity 
to  worship  God  and  receive  the  sacraments  in  the  way 
agreeable  to  their  own  consciences." 

The  bill  before  the  legislature  proposed  that  negro 
slaves  should  not  be  admitted  into  a  dissenting  church 
without  the  consent  of  their  masters.  With  reference  to 
this  matter  the  presbytery  made  the  following  declara- 
tion :  "And  as  to  baptizing  or  receiving  servants  into 
our  communion,  we  have  always  anxiously  desired  to  do 
it  with  the  permission  of  their  masters ;  but  when  a  ser- 
vant appears  to  be  a  true  penitent  or  makes  profession 
of  his  faith  in  Christ,  upon  his  desire  it  is  our  indispens- 


110  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

able  duty  to  admit  him  into  our  church,  and  if  he  has 
never  been  baptized,  we  are  to  baptize  him  according  to 
the  command  of  Christ," 

"We  are  petitioning  in  favor  of  a  church  that  is 
neither  contemptible  nor  obscure,"  said  the  presbytery. 
"It  prevails  in  every  province  to  the  northward  of 
Maryland,  and  its  advocates  in  all  the  more  southern 
provinces  are  numerous  and  respectable;  the  greatest 
monarch  in  the  north  of  Europe  adorns  it  [Frederick 
the  Great  of  Prussia]  ;  it  is  the  established  religion  of 
the  populous  and  wealthy  states  of  Holland;  it  prevails 
in  the  wise  and  happy  cantons  of  Switzerland;  and  it 
is  the  possession  of  Geneva,  a  state  among  the  foremost 
of  those  which,  at  the  Reformation,  emancipated  them- 
selves from  the  slavery  of  Rome;  and  some  of  the  first 
geniuses  and  writers  in  every  branch  of  literature  were 
sons  of  our  Church."  Thus  spake  the  presbytery  with 
reference  to  the  body  of  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians, 
some  600,000  in  number,  at  that  time  established  in  the 
American  colonies. 

The  petition  was  signed  by  David  Rice  as  moderator 
and  by  Caleb  Wallace  as  clerk  of  the  presbytery.  The 
paper  itself  was  drawn  up,  most  probably,  by  Wallace. 
And  who  was  this  Caleb  Wallace,  the  writer  of  this 
strong  public  appeal  in  behalf  of  religious  freedom? 
Caleb's  grandfather,  Peter  Wallace,  was  a  Scot,  a 
member  of  the  Woods  colony  established  at  the  western 
edge  of  Albemarle  County  in  1734.  Peter's  son,  Sam- 
uel Wallace,  went  to  Charlotte  County  and  became  a 
member  of  the  Caldwell  settlement  on  Cub  Creek.  In 
that  region  Caleb  Wallace  was  born  about  1742.  He 
was  educated  at  Princeton  and  was  ordained  as  shep- 
herd of  the  flock  at  Cub  Creek  in  October,  1774,  about 
one  month  before  he  wrote  the  presbyiery's  petition  in 
behalf  of  liberty. 

In  response  to  this  and  other  appeals  made  by  the 
Presbyterians  and  other  dissenters,  the  Virginia  Con- 


Religious  Freedom  111 

vcntion  declared,  on  IMay  15,  1776,  that  they  had  been 
driven  to  make  choice  between  "abject  submission  to 
those  overbearing  tyrants  or  a  total  separation  from 
the  crown  and  government  of  Great  Britain."  The 
convention,  therefore,  chose  separation,  and  instructed 
the  Virginia  delegates  in  the  Continental  Congress  to 
propose  to  that  body  "to  declare  these  united  colonies 
free  and  independent  states."  On  June  12,  1776,  the 
convention  adopted  a  Bill  of  Rights.  Then,  on  June  29, 
the  convention  agreed  upon  a  Constitution,  elected  Pat- 
rick Henry  as  governor,  and  organized  Virginia  as  an 
independent,  self-governing  state.  The  sixteenth  clause 
of  the  Bill  of  Rights  ran  as  follows : — 

16.  "That  religion,  or  the  duty  we  owe  our  Creator, 
and  the  manner  of  discharging  it,  can  be  directed  only 
by  reason  and  conviction,  not  by  force  or  violence,  and, 
therefore,  all  men  are  equally  entitled  to  the  free  ex- 
ercise of  religion,  according  to  the  dictates  of  con- 
science, and  that  it  is  the  mutual  duty  of  all  to  practice 
Christian  forbearance,  love,  and  charity  toward  each 
other." 

Another  champion  of  liberty  appeared  upon  the 
scene  when  this  clause  of  the  Bill  of  Rights  was  under 
discussion.  This  champion  was  James  Madison,  son 
of  a  Virginia  planter,  a  recent  graduate  of  Princeton, 
where  he  had  imbibed  the  lofty  principles  taught  by 
John  Witherspoon.  The  original  draft  of  this  six- 
teenth clause,  proposed  by  Patrick  Henry,  contained 
the  word  "toleration"  as  indicating  the  extent  of  priv- 
ilege belonging  to  all  men  in  the  matter  of  religion. 
Madison,  however,  a  more  radical  exponent  of  Presby- 
terian theories  than  Henry,  although  he  was  not  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presb3'terian  Church,  persuaded  the  conven- 
tion to  omit  the  word  "toleration,"  and  in  its  place  to 
substitute  the  expression,  "free  exercise  of  religion  ac- 
cording to  the  dictates  of  conscience." 

Religious  freedom,  in  theory,  at  least,  was  thus  al- 


112  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

ready  won  in  Virginia  in  1776.  To  the  Presbyterians 
more  than  to  any  other  body  of  people  this  victory  was 
due.  For  they  formed  not  only  the  majority  in  the  col- 
ony, but  they  were  also  foremost  in  advocating  free- 
dom. In  fact,  however,  the  Episcopal  Church  was  still 
in  the  enjoyment  of  many  advantages  and  privileges 
that  were  withheld  from  the  dissenters.  The  latter,  how- 
ever, did  not  pause  in  their  fight.  As  we  shall  see  in  a 
later  chapter,  the  Presbyterians  and  the  Baptists  con- 
tinued the  struggle  until  complete  religious  freedom  as 
an  actual  fact  was  established  in  the  commonwealth. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

PRESBYTERIAN     RIFLEMEN    WIN     THE     BATTLE     OF     POINT 
PLEASANT    (1774). 

One  morning,  early  in  the  month  of  September,  1771, 
ft  tall,  strong  man  stood  in  the  gateway  of  an  old  log 
fort  in  the  mountains  of  western  Virginia.  He  was 
more  than  six  feet  in  height,  had  uncommon  strength 
and  his  form  was  finely  moulded.  "He  had  a  stern  and 
invincible  countenance,  and  was  of  a  reserved  and  dis- 
tant deportment  which  rendered  his  presence  more 
awful  than  engaging."  His  fringed  hunting  shirt  and 
his  leggings  were  made  of  dressed  deerskin.  His  feet 
were  covered  with  moccasins  of  the  same  material.  Upon 
his  head  rested  a  bearskin  cap.  A  powder-horn  was 
slung  about  his  neck  by  a  long  cord.  The  rifle  upon 
which  he  leaned  for  the  moment,  had  a  long  black  bar- 
rel and  a  heavy  black  stock,  and  was  of  the  flintlock 
pattern.  The  man  thus  dressed,  ready  for  battle,  was 
Andrew  Lewis,  a  brigadier  general  in  command  of  Vir- 
ginia riflemen.  The  colonial  governor  of  New  York, 
who  had  met  Lewis  not  long  before  the  time  of  which 
we  speak,  said  of  him  that  "the  earth  seemed  to  tremble 
under  him  as  he  walked  along." 

Andrew  Lewis  was  one  of  the  sons  of  John  Lewis, 
who  came  from  the  north  of  Ireland  to  Virginia  in  1732. 
The  other  sons  of  John  were  Thomas,  W^illiam  and 
Charles.  John  Lewis  made  his  home  near  the  present 
city  of  Staunton,  in  Augusta  County,  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  John  Craig's  Church  at  Tinkling  Spring. 

Andrew  Lewis  was  a  soldier  from  his  early  years. 
He  held  the  title  of  major  during  the  French  and  In- 
dian War  and  served  with  George  W^ashington.  He 
established   himself   on   a   plantation   near   the   present 

113 


114  Southern  Preshyterian  Leaders  <■ 

town  of  Salem,  now  in  Roanoke,  but   then  located  in 
Botetourt  County. 

The  log  fort  in  whose  gate  Andrew  Lewis  was  stand- 
ing on  that  September  morning,  in  1774,  was  then 
called  Fort  Union.  It  was  built  in  the  beautiful,  little 
mountain  valley  upon  the  spot  where  the  town  of  I.ewis- 
burg  is  now  located.  General  Lewis  was  casting  a  keen 
glance  through  the  camp  of  the  army  of  riflemen  who 
had  met  him  at  Fort  Union  for  the  purpose  of  march- 
ing to  meet  the  Indians  of  the  Ohio  Valley.  He  looked 
first,  no  doubt,  for  the  regiment  from  Augusta  County 
led  by  his  brother.  Colonel  Charles  Lewis.  There  they 
were  in  eight  companies,  each  man  armed  with  a  rifle 
and  dressed  like  the  general  in  command.  Every  man 
in  a  certain  company  was  said  to  be  six  feet  in  height. 
Most  of  these  Augusta  men  were  from  the  congrega- 
tions of  John  Craig  and  John  Brown.  The  Botetourt 
regiment  of  seven  companies  was  led  by  Colonel  Wil- 
liam Fleming.  Colonel  John  Field  led  the  men  from 
Culpeper  County,  many  of  whom  were  to  call  them- 
selves afterward  the  "Culpeper  minute  men."  Captain 
Thomas  Buford  brought  the  men  of  Bedford  County, 
and  Captain  Evan  Shelby  brought  a  company  from  the 
Holston  River,  among  whom  were  Evan's  son  Isaac,  and 
William  Campbell.  The  news  came,  also,  that  Colonel 
William  Christian,  founder  of  the  towns  of  Fincastle, 
in  Botetourt,  and  Christianburg,  in  the  present  Mont- 
gomery County,  was  on  the  march  with  the  men  of 
Southwest  Virginia.  Most  of  these  stalwart  riflemen  in 
Andrew  Lewis's  army  were  members  of  the  congrega- 
tions of  the  Hanover  Presbytery.  They  formed  a  kind 
of  church  militant  as  they  set  out  westward  through  the 
wilderness  on  the  11th  of  September,  1774.  Matthew 
Arbuckle  and  John  Stuart,  of  Greenbrier  County,  were 
in  the  army  to  lead  the  way  to  Point  Pleasant,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Ohio  River,  just  at  the  place  where  the 
Kanawha  pours  its  waters  into  that  stream. 


Battle  of  Point  Pleasant  115 

Early  on  the  morning  of  October  10,  1774,  the  army 
under  Lewis,  which  numbered  about  eleven  hundred  men, 
was  attacked  by  a  force  of  about  eleven  hundred  In- 
dians led  by  the  chiefs  Cornstalk  and  Logan.  When 
the  redmen  came  near  the  camp  of  the  Virginians,  Gen- 
eral Lewis  quietly  lit  his  tobacco  pipe  and  told  his 
brother.  Colonel  Charles  Lewis,  and  Colonel  Fleming 
to  lead  their  men  into  the  battle.  The  fight  raged  all 
day  long.  It  was  the  hardest  struggle  that  the  white 
settlers  had  with  the  Indians  during  the  whole  colo- 
nial period.  Colonel  Field  and  Colonel  Charles  Lewis 
and  six  of  the  captains  were  slain.  Colonel  Fleming 
was  desperately  wounded.  About  one-fifth  of  Andrew 
Lewis'  army  was  disabled,  but  the  stern  face  of  the 
leader  kept  his  men  in  line,  and  they  won  the  fight. 
When  Colonel  Christian  arrived  with  his  forces  at  mid- 
night he  found  that  the  savages  had  fled  across  the 
Ohio.  The  victory  of  the  Presbyterian  riflemen  at 
Point  Pleasant  opened  the  Ohio  River  as  a  highway  of 
travel  into  Kentucky  and  Tennessee.  This  made  pos- 
sible the  rapid  settlement  of  those  commonwealths  and 
the  settlement  of  the  region  north  of  the  Ohio  River. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE   MOUNTAIN   MEN   OF    VIRGINIA  AND   NORTH    CAROLINA 
LEAD    THE   WAY    TO    INDEPENDENCE. 

During  the  month  of  September,  1774,  the  first  Con- 
tinental Congress,  made  up  of  delegates  from  the  Amer- 
ican colonies,  met  in  Philadelphia.  The  reason  why 
these  delegates  came  together  was  that  earlier  in  the 
same  year  the  British  Parliament  had  passed  some  laws 
that  were  considered  to  be  oppressive  by  the  people  of 
the  colonies.  One  of  these  laws  was  the  Quebec  Act, 
adding  all  of  the  country  north  of  the  Ohio  River  to  the 
province  of  Quebec,  in  which  Roman  Catholicism  was 
the  recognized  religion.  These  new  British  laws  of 
1774  only  made  more  intense  the  indignation  of  the  col- 
onists concerning  the  tax-laws  previously  passed  by  the 
British  Parliament.  The  Continental  Congress  adopted 
a  Declaration  of  Rights,  sent  petitions  to  the  British 
rulers  and  British  people,  and  urged  the  colonists  not 
to  buy  goods  from  British  merchants.  Then  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Congress  rode  away  from  Philadelphia  and 
went  back  home. 

The  people  of  the  colonies  were  now  getting  them- 
selves ready  for  action.  In  nearly  every  county  a  com- 
mittee of  citizens  was  organized,  which  began  to  hold 
meetings  to  talk  about  the  situation. 

On  the  20th  of  January,  1775,  the  committee  of  Fin- 
castle  County,  Virginia,  adopted  a  paper  that  sent  the 
blood  in  a  swifter  current  through  the  veins  of  all  that 
read  it.  Fincastle  County  at  that  time  embraced  the 
whole  of  Southwest  Virginia.  The  committee  which 
met  near  the  present  Abingdon  was  made  up  almost 
entirely  of  men  who  were  members  of  the  two  congrega- 

116 


Movement  in  Behalf  of  Independence         117 

tions  of  Charles  Cummings,  as  follows :  Colonel  William 
Christian,  Chairman ;  Rev.  Charles  Cummings,  Colonel 
William  Preston,  Captain  Stephen  Trigg,  Major  Arthur 
Campbell,  Major  William  Ingliss,  Captain  Walter 
Crockett,  Jolm  Montgomery,  James  McGavock,  William 
Campbell,  Thomas  Madison,  Daniel  Smith,  William 
Russell,  Evan  Shelby  and  William  Edmundson.  To  the 
second  Continental  Congress  which  was  soon  to  meet, 
this  committee  sent  an  address  which  contained  the  fol- 
lowing : 

"  *  *  *  We  by  no  means  desire  to  shake  off 
our  duty  or  allegiance  to  our  lawful  sovereign,  but  on 
the  contrary,  shall  ever  glory  in  being  the  loyal  sub- 
jects of  a  Protestant  prince  descended  from  such  illus- 
trious progenitors,  so  long  as  we  can  enjoy  the  free  ex- 
ercise of  our  religion  as  Protestants  and  our  liberties 
and  properties  as  British  subjcts. 

"But  if  no  pacific  measures  shall  be  proposed  or 
adopted  by  Great  Britain,  and  our  enemies  will  attempt 
to  dragoon  us  out  of  those  inestimable  privileges  which 
we  are  entitled  to  as  subjects,  and  to  reduce  us  to  sla- 
very, we  declare  that  we  are  deliberately  and  resolutely 
determined  never  to  surrender  them  to  any  power  upon 
earth  but  at  the  expense  of  our  lives." 

These  words  of  defiance  were  written,  probably,  by 
Charles  Cummings  himself,  and  were  adopted  by  the 
men  to  whom  he  spoke  from  the  pulpit  every  Sunday. 

On  the  22d  of  February,  1775,  the  people  of  Augusta 
County  held  a  mass-meeting  in  Staunton  and  selected 
Thomas  Lewis,  brother  of  General  Andrew  Lewis,  and 
Captain  Samuel  McDowell  to  represent  them  in  the 
Virginia  Convention  to  be  held  at  Richmond  the  fol- 
lowing month  (March  20,  1775).  To  these  delegates 
the  people  gave  written  instructions  containing  the  fol- 
lowing words:  "  *  *  *  Many  of  us  and  our  fore- 
fathers left  our  native  land,  and  explored  this  once 
savage  wilderness  to  enjoy  the  free  exercise  of  the  rights 


118  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

of  conscience  and  of  human  nature.  Those  rights  we 
are  fully  resolved  with  our  lives  and  fortunes  inviolably 
to  preserve;  nor  will  we  surrender  such  inestimable 
blessings,  the  purchase  of  toil  and  danger,  to  any  min- 
istry, to  any  Parliament,  or  to  any  body  of  men  upon 
earth  by  whom  we  are  not  represented  and  in  whose  de- 
cision, therefore,  we  have  no  voice." 

About  the  same  time,  also,  the  people  of  Botetourt 
County,  in  Southwest  Virginia,  adopted  the  following 
sentiments : 

«  *  *  *  -yy-g  j^j.g  |.QQ  sensible  to  the  inestimable 
privileges  enjoyed  by  subjects  under  the  British 
Constitution  even  to  wish  for  a  change  while  the  free 
enjoyments  of  those  blessings  can  be  secured  to  us. 
*  *  *  But,  should  a  wicked  and  tyrannical  ministry, 
under  the  sanction  of  a  venal  and  corrupt  Parliament, 
persist  in  acts  of  injustice  and  violence  towards  us, 
they  only  must  be  answerable  for  the  consequences. 
Liberty  is  so  strongly  impressed  on  our  hearts  that 
we  cannot  think  of  parting  with  it,  but  with  our  lives. 
Our  duty  to  God,  our  country,  ourselves  and  our  pos- 
terity, all  forbid  it.  We,  therefore,  stand  prepared  for 
every  contingency." 

On  March  20,  1775,  the  second  Virginia  Conven- 
tion met  in  St.  John's  Church,  Richmond.  The  lead- 
ing figure  in  that  body  was  Patrick  Henry,  who  was 
supported  in  his  views  by  a  majority  of  the  members. 
That  majority  was  furnished  by  the  Piedmont  and  Val- 
ley counties  of  the  colony,  whose  delegates  were  nearly 
all  adherents  of  the  Presbyterian  faith.  The  instructions 
given  by  the  people  of  Augusta  County  to  Thomas 
Lewis  and  Samuel  McDowell  represented  the  political 
opinions  of  the  majority  of  the  delegates.  After  the  con- 
vention met,  Patrick  Henry  presented  a  resolution, 
"That  this  colony  be  immediately  put  into  a  state  of  de- 
fence," and  that  an  army  should  be  at  once  embodied, 
armed  and  drilled  for  thait  purpose. 


Movement  in  Behalf  of  Independence         119 

Many  of  the  counties  In  the  American  colonies  had 
armed  their  militia,  but  none  of  the  colonies  had  as 
yet  organized  an  army  for  defence.  This  was  the  mean- 
ing of  Henry's  resolution,  which  he  supported  by  an 
outburst  of  wonderful  eloquence:  "Our  petitions  have 
been  slighted,"  said  Henry ;  "our  remonstrances  have 
produced  additional  violence  and  insult ;  our  supplica- 
tions have  been  disregarded ;  and  we  have  been  spurned, 
with  contempt,  from  the  foot  of  the  throne.  In  vain, 
after  these  things,  may  we  indulge  the  fond  hope  of 
peace  and  reconciliation.  There  is  no  longer  any  room 
for  hope.  If  we  wish  to  be  free, — if  we  mean  to  pre- 
serve inviolate  those  inestimable  privileges  for  which 
we  have  been  so  long  contending, — if  we  mean  not 
basely  to  abandon  the  noble  struggle  in  which  we 
have  been  so  long  engaged,  and  which  we  have  pledged 
ourselves  never  to  abandon  until  the  glorious  object  of 
our  contest  shall  be  obtained, — we  must  fight !  I  repeat 
it,  sir,  we  must  fight!  An  appeal  to  arms  and  to  the 
God  of  Hosts  is  all  that  is  left  us." 

"Sir,  we  are  not  weak,"  he  continued,  "if  we  make  a 
proper  use  of  those  means  which  the  God  of  nature 
hath  placed  in  our  power.  Three  millions  of  people, 
armed  in  the  holy  cause  of  liberty  and  in  such  a  coun- 
try as  that  which  we  possess,  are  invincible  by  any 
force  which  our  enemy  can  send  against  us.  Besides, 
sir,  we  shall  not  fight  our  battles  alone.  There  is  a 
just  God  who  presides  over  the  destinies  of  nations, 
and  who  will  raise  up  friends  to  fight  our  battles  for 
^g_  «  «  «  rpj-jg  ^^^aj,  -g  inevitable,  and  let  it  come! 
I  repeat  it,  sir,  let  it  come !  It  is  in  vain,  sir,  to  ex- 
tenuate the  matter.  Gentlemen  may  cry  peace, 
peace,  but  there  is  no  peace.  The  war  is  actually 
begun.  The  next  gale  that  sweeps  from  the 
north  will  bring  to  our  ears  the  clash  of  resounding 
arms.  Our  brethren  are  already  in  the  field.  Why 
stand  we  here  idle?     What  is  it  that  gentlemen  wish.'' 


120  Southern  Preshyterian  Leaders 

What  would  they  have?  Is  life  so  dear,  or  peace  so 
sweet,  as  to  be  purchased  at  the  price  of  chains  and 
slavery?  Forbid  it.  Almighty  God!  I  know  not  what 
course  others  may  take;  but  as  for  me,  give  me  liberty 
or  give  me  death !" 

The  Convention  adopted  Henry's  proposal  and  the 
army  was  organized.  On  May  2,  1775,  Patrick  Henry 
led  a  large  body  of  Virginia  volunteers  from  Hanover 
County  toward  the  colonial  capital,  Williamsburg. 
Supported  by  this  same  armed  force,  Henry  compelled 
the  royal  governor,  Lord  Dunmore,  to  make  full  pay- 
ment for  a  quantity  of  powder  belonging  to  Virginia 
which  the  governor  had  removed  from  the  public  store 
house. 

In  May,  1775,  the  committee  representing  the  peo- 
ple of  Mecklenburg  County,  North  Carolina,  held  a 
meeting  at  Charlotte  and  practically  declared  their  in- 
dependence of  Great  Britian  by  adopting  the  following 
resolves : 

"I.  That  all  commissions,  civil  and  military,  here- 
tofore granted  by  the  crown  to  be  exercised 
in  these  colonies,  are  null  and  void,  and  the  constitu- 
tion of  each  particular  colony  wholly  suspended.  II. 
That  the  Provincial  Congress  of  each  Province,  under 
the  direction  of  the  great  Continental  Congress,  is 
invested  with  all  legislative  and  executive  powers  within 
their  respective  provinces,  and  that  no  other  legislative 
or  executive  power  does  or  can  exist  at  this  time  in 
any  of  these  colonies."  The  committee  then  announced 
that  the  people  of  the  county  of  Mecklenburg  should 
organize  themselves  into  military  companies  and  ap- 
point their  own  officers  "independent  of  the  crown  of 
Great  Britain."  Further  than  this,  the  people  were  to 
appoint  a  body  of  eighteen  "select  men,"  to  be  known 
as  the  "Convention"  of  the  county.  This  Convention 
was  to  manage  all  affairs  of  government  in  the  county 
in  place  of  the  King's  officers  "until  instructions  from 


Movement  in  Behalf  of  Independence         121 

the  Provincial  Congress  regulating  the  jurisprudence 
of  the  province  shall  provide  otherwise,  or  the  legis- 
lative body  of  Great  Britain  resign  its  unjust  and  arbi- 
trary pretensions  with  respect  to  America." 

The  members  of  the  Mecklenburg  committee  be- 
longed to  the  seven  congregations  of  Mecklenburg 
County.  The  chairman  of  the  committee,  Abraham 
Alexander,  was  an  elder  of  the  Sugar  Creek  Church. 
John  McKnitt  Alexander,  secretary  of  the  committee, 
and  Hezekiah  Alexander  were  elders  of  Hopewell.  Hez- 
ekiah  J.  Balch,  member  of  the  committee,  was  pastor 
of  Poplar  Tent;  David  Reese,  another  committeeman 
was  an  elder  from  Poplar  Tent.  Adam  Alexander 
and  Robert  Queary  were  elders  from  Rocky  River 
and  Robert  Irwin  was  an  elder  from  Steele  Creek. 
Most  probably  some  of  the  other  committeemen  were 
also  elders.* 

*Note. — The  names  of  the  members  of  the  Mecklenburg  com- 
mittee were  the  following: 

Abraham  Alexander,  Chairman. 
John  McKnitt  Alexander,  Secretary. 

Ephraim  Brevard.  Charles  Alexander. 

Rev.  Hezekiah  J.  Balch.  Zaccheus  Wilson,  Jun. 

John  Phifer.  Weightstill  Avery. 

James  Harris.  Benjamin  Patton. 

William  Kennon.  Matthew  McClure. 

John  Ford.  Neill  Morrison. 

Richard  Barry.  Robert  Irwin. 

Henry  Downe.  John  Flenniken. 

Ezra  Alexander.  David  Reese. 

William  Graham^  John  Davidson. 

John  Queary.  Richard  Harris,  Jun. 

Adam  Alexander.  Thomas  Polk. 
Hezekiah  Alexander. 

Several  years  afterwards  some  of  the  members  of  this  com- 
mittee made  statements  from  memory  to  the  following  effect : 
That  on  the  morning  of  the  20th  of  May,  1775,  the  Mecklenburg 
committee  adopted  a  paper  written  by  Ephraim  Brevard.  This 
paper,  which  was  read  to  the  people  of  the  county  assembled  in 
front  of  the  courthouse  at  Charlotte,  contained  the  statement 
that  the  citizens  of  Mecklenburg  thereby  declared  themselves  to 
be  "a  free  and  independent  people."  In  the  year  1800  Brevard's 
original  paper  was  burned  in  the  house  of  John  McKnitt  Alex- 
ander. Copies  of  it  had  been  made,  however,  and  these  copies 
were  declared  to  be  true  and  exact  by  surviving  members  of  the 
committee. 


122  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

The  rest  of  the  counties  of  North  Carolina  were  in 
sympathy  with  Mecklenburg.  The  result  was,  that, 
early  in  August,  1775,  the  royal  governor,  Martin, 
fled  to  a  British  warship  in  the  Cape  Fear  River  and 
British  government  came  to  an  end  forever  in  North 
Carolina.  The  convention  of  the  people  met  at  once 
and  took  charge  of  the  government. 

Most  of  the  Highlanders  on  the  upper  Cape  Fear 
River  had  been  living  only  a  few  years  in  America. 
They  did  not  understand  the  quarrel  between  the  colo- 
nies and  Great  Britain,  and  determined,  therefore,  to 
fight  for  the  king.  In  February,  1776,  Donald  McDon- 
ald led  about  one  thousand  five  hundred  Highlanders 
from  Cross  Creek  (Fayetteville)  down  the  Cape  Fear 
toward  Wilmington  to  join  the  British  army  and  fleet. 
Colonel  Richard  Caswell  and  Colonel  Alexander  Lilling- 
ton  led  a  force  from  the  lower  Cape  Fear,  from  the 
Newbern  district  and  from  Wake  and  Duplin  counties, 
and  defeated  McDonald's  army  at  Moore's  Creek  Bridge. 
Ten  thousand  men  in  North  Carolina  then  seized  their 
rifles  and  stood  ready  to  fight.  The  British  army  was 
afraid  to  go  ashore  from  the  warships.  They,  there- 
fore sailed  farther  south  and  on  June  28,  1776,  both 
the  British  fleet  and  army  were  defeated  by  Colonel  Wil- 
liam Moultrie  and  William  Thomson  in  front  of  Charles 
Town,  South  Carolina. 

In  April,  1776,  the  people  of  North  Carolina  met 
in  Convention  for  the  fourth  time.  The  place  of  meet- 
ing was  Halifax.  The  Convention  sent  a  message  to 
the  North  Carolina  delegates  in  the  Congress  at  Phil- 
adelphia giving  them  authority  "to  concur  with  the 
delegates  from  the  other  colonies  in  declaring  inde- 
pendence." This  was  the  first  voice  heard  from  a  whole 
colony  in  favor  of  complete  American  freedom. 

Early  in  May,  1776,  the  people  of  Virginia  met  in 
Convention  at  Williamsburg,  On  the  10th  of  May, 
Thomas  Lewis  and  Samuel  McDowell,  delegates   from 


Movement  in  Behalf  of  Independence         123 

Augusta  County,  offered  to  the  Convention  a  memorial, 
or  petition,  sent  by  the  commiHee  of  the  county  of 
Augusta.  This  memorial  set  forth  "the  present  un- 
happy situation  of  the  country,"  and  "the  necessity  of 
making  the  confederacy  of  the  united  colonies  the  most 
perfect,  independent  and  lasting,  and  of  framing  an 
equal,  free  and  liberal  government  that  may  bear  the 
test  of  all  future  ages." 

The  complete  independence  of  all  the  colonies,  thus 
so  clearly  suggested  by  the  people  of  Augusta,  was 
adopted  as  the  view  of  the  Convention  of  Virginia.  On 
the  15th  of  May,  five  days  after  the  reading  of  the 
Augusta  memorial,  the  Convention  sent  instructions  to 
the  Virginia  delegates  in  the  Continental  Congress, 
commanding  them  to  propose  that  the  Congress  declare 
the  colonies  to  be  free  and  independent  States.  The 
Virginia  delegates  followed  these  instructions  and  on 
the  4th  of  July,  1776,  Thomas  Jefferson's  great  paper, 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  was  adopted  at  Phil- 
adelphia by  the  votes  of  twelve  of  the  States.  The  move- 
ment in  behalf  of  independence  originated  among  the 
body  of  600,000  Scots  who  occupied  the  frontiers  of  the 
colonies.  The  leaders  in  the  movement,  as  we  have  seen, 
were  the  Scotch-Irish  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina. 


CHAPTER  XX 

WILLIAM  GRAHAM,  FOUNDER  OF  THE  LIBERTY  HALL 
ACADEMY  IN  VIRGINIA. 

As  early  as  October,  1771,  The  Hanover  Presbytery 
expressed  its  sense  of  "the  great  expediency  of  erecting 
a  seminary  of  learning  somewhere  within  the  bounds  of 
this  presbytery."  In  October,  1774,  the  presbytery 
resumed  "the  consideration  of  a  school  for  the  liberal 
education  of  youth,  judged  to  be  of  great  and  imme- 
diate importance.  We  do,  therefore,  agree  to  establish 
and  patronize  a  publick  school,  which  shall  be  con- 
fined to  the  County  of  Augusta.  At  present  it  shall 
be  managed  by  Mr.  William  Graham,  a  gentleman  prop- 
erly recommended  to  this  Presbytery — and  under  the 
inspection  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  John  Brown."  William  Gra- 
ham was  recommended  to  the  presbytery  by  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Stanhope  Smith,  of  Princeton  College.  In  this 
manner,  the  presbytery  assumed  control  of  the  school 
which  had  been  hitherto  organized  as  a  church  school 
under  the  control  of  Rev.  John  Brown. 

At  the  same  meeting,  the  presbytery  appointed  the 
Rev.  John  Brown,  the  Rev.  David  Rice,  the  Rev.  Sam- 
uel Cummings,  the  Rev.  William  Irwin  and  the  Rev.  Caleb 
Wallace  to  take  subscriptions  for  the  school  in  the  con- 
gregations of  Providence,  North  Mountain,  Pastures, 
Botetourt,  Fincastle,  Tinkling  Spring,  Stone  Church, 
Brown's  Settlement  and  Fork  of  James  River. 

At  the  same  meeting,  also,  the  presbytery  recom- 
mended it  to  the  congregations  of  Cumberland,  Prince 
Edward  and  Briery  to  take  subscriptions  for  the  erec- 
tion  of  a  public   school  for  the   liberal   education   of 

124 


William  Graham  125 

youth,  in  the  region  south  of  the  Blue  Ridge.  On 
February  2,  1775,  the  presbytery  decided  to  estab- 
lish this  school  in  Prince  Edward  County.  The  pres- 
bytery appointed  trustees  for  the  Prince  Edward  Acad- 
emy and  chose  Samuel  Stanhope  Smith  as  rector.  With 
reference  to  this  academy  the  presbytery,  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1775,  declared  that  "every  necessary  branch  of 
human  literature  will  be  taught  to  good  advantage,  on 
the  most  catholic  plan,  and  whereas,  some  gentlemen 
who  are  unacquainted  with  our  sentiments,  may  en- 
courage this  seminary  with  reluctance  because  it  is  to 
be  under  the  guardianship  of  this  presbytery,  we  take 
this  opportunity  to  assure  the  publick,  that  though  the 
strictest  regard  shall  be  paid  to  the  morals  of  the 
youth,  and  worship  carried  on,  evening  and  morning, 
in  the  Presbyterian  way;  yet  on  the  other  hand,  all 
possible  care  shall  be  taken  that  no  undue  influence  be 
used  by  any  member  of  this  presbytery,  the  rector,  or 
any  assistant,  to  bias  the  judgment  of  any;  but  that 
all,  of  every  denomination,  shall  fully  enjoy  his  own 
religious  sentiments." 

Two  months  later,  April  12th,  1775,  the  presbytery 
met  in  the  Timber  Ridge  Church,  and  made  the  follow- 
ing statement  with  reference  to  Augusta  Academy: 
"The  presbytery  as  guardians  and  directors,  take  this 
opportunity  to  declare  their  resolution  to  do  their  best 
endeavor  to  establish  it  [Augusta  Academy]  on  the 
most  catholic  plan  that  circumstances  will  permit." 

"The  most  catholic  plan"  of  administration,  thus 
announced,  is  evidently  the  same  that  was  set  forth  by 
the  presbytery  two  months  before  with  reference  to 
Prince  Edward  Academy,  that  "the  strictest  regard 
shall  be  paid  to  the  morals  of  the  youth,  and  worship 
carried  on,  evening  and  morning,  in  the  Presbyterian 
way,"  and,  yet,  at  the  same  time  each  member  of  any 
other  denomination  "shall  fully  enjoy  his  own  religious 
sentiments.'* 


126  Southern  Preshyterian  Leaders 

With  reference  to  this  declaration  of  tlie  presbytery, 
Dr.  Henry  Ruffner,  in  his  history  of  Washington  Col- 
lege, makes  the  following  statement:  "As  no  seminary 
above  the  rank  of  common  school  had  yet  been  estab- 
lished in  the  Valley,  the  presbytery  saw  fit  on  this  occa- 
sion to  declare  that  they  meant  not  to  confine  the  ben- 
efits of  the  Academy  to  their  own  denomination  of  Chris- 
tianity, but  to  manage  it  on  such  liberal  principles  that 
all  the  country  might  enjoy  the  benefits  of  the  institu- 
tion. They  meant,  no  doubt,  as  in  duty  they  were  bound, 
to  give  a  religious  and  moral  education  to  the  pupils  of 
this  academy;  but  not  to  manage  it  with  the  sectarian 
view  of  making  Presbyterians  of  all  who  might  resort  to 
it"     (Historical  Papers — I.,  p.  14.) 

At  this  same  meeting,  April,  1775,  "Presbytery  find- 
ing that  they  cannot,  of  themselves,  forward  subscrip- 
tions in  a  particular  manner,  do,  for  the  encourage- 
ment of  the  Academy  to  be  established  in  Augusta,  rec- 
ommend it  to  the  following  gentlemen  to  take  in  sub- 
scriptions in  their  behalf,  viz.,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Cummings, 
Col.  Wm.  Preston,  Col.  Wm.  Christian  [Fincastle], 
Col.  Lewis,  Col.  Fleming  and  Mr.  Stockheart  [Bote- 
tourt], Capt.  John  Bowyer,  Capt.  Wm.  McKee,  Capt. 
Adlai  Paul,  Capt  John  Maxwell  and  Mr.  James  Trim- 
ble [Fork  of  James  River],  Mr.  Saml.  Lyle  and  Capt. 
Samuel  McDowell  [Timber  Ridge],  Rev.  John  Brown, 
James  Wilson  and  Charles  Campbell  [Providence],  Wm. 
McPheeters,  Wm.  Ledgerwood,  and  John  Trimble 
[North  Mountain  and  Brown's  Settlement],  Moses 
Stewart  and  Walter  Davis  [Tinkling  Spring],  Samp- 
son Mathews  [Staunton],  Capt.  George  Mathews,  Capt. 
George  Moffitt  and  James  Allen  [Augusta  Church]. 
These  men  were  Presbyterians  and  were  appointed  to 
take  subscriptions  within  the  bounds  of  Presbyterian 
congregations  for  the  support  of  Augusta  Academy. 

It  is  further  recorded  concerning  the  Presbytery  at 
Timber  Ridge,  April,  1775,  that  the  Presbytery  went 


William  Graham  127 

in  a  body  to  pay  an  official  visit  to  William  Graham's 
Academy  at  Mt.  Pleasant  near  Fairfield  and  "attended 
a  specimen  of  the  proficiency  of  the  students,  in  the 
Latin  and  Greek  languages,  and  pronouncing  orations, 
with  which  they  were  well  pleased." 

William  Graham  was  a  man  of  twenty-eight  years 
when  he  began  to  teach  Greek  and  Latin  at  JMount 
Pleasant  on  the  ridge  near  Fairfield  in  the  present 
Rockbridge  County,  Virginia.  He  was  slightly  above 
medium  height,  his  eyes  were  dark  and  he  had  a  slender, 
delicate  frame.  Graham  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  of 
Scotch-Irish  parentage  and  until  he  reached  the  age 
of  twenty-two,  worked  on  his  father's  farm.  He  then 
went  to  the  home  of  his  pastor  and  gave  all  of  his 
time  to  the  study  of  books;  for  just  a  year  before,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  he  had  given  his  heart 
to  Christ.  Five  years  were  spent  by  Graham  at  Prince- 
ton under  the  guardianship  and  instruction  of  the  great 
John  Witherspoon,  then  president  of  the  College.  Henry 
Lee,  of  Virginia,  afterwards  known  as  "Light-Horse 
Harry"  Lee,  and  father  of  General  Robert  E.  Lee, 
was  one  of  Graham's  fellow-students  at  Princeton.  The 
latter  completed  the  course  of  study  there  in  1T73  and 
for  a  year  afterwards  gave  himself  to  the  study  of  the- 
ology. Then  he  answered  the  call  of  Hanover  Presby- 
tery, and  began  his  work  as  teacher  in  the  fall  of  1774. 
At  its  October  meeting,  in  1775,  the  presbytery  gave 
him  license  to  enter  the  pulpit. 

At  the  close  of  Graham's  first  year  as  teacher  in 
the  academy,  that  is,  in  the  spring  of  1775,  as  we 
have  just  seen,  the  presbytery  held  one  of  its  daily 
sessions  in  the  school  house  and  there  listened  to  reci- 
tations, by  Graham's  students,  in  the  Latin  and  Greek 
languages.  They  also  heard  orations  delivered  by  some 
of  the  students. 

The  method  of  teaching  pursued  by  Graham  has 
been  described  for  us  by  Dr.   Samuel  Campbell  who, 


128  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders  , 

after  Graham's  death,  was  principal  of  the  same  school. 
"I  happened  at  Mount  Pleasant  during  Mr.  Graham's 
superintendence,"  says  Dr.  Campbell.  "It  was  near  the 
hour  of  recitation.  Here  was  seen  a  large  assemblage 
of  fine,  cheerful,  vigorous  looking  youth,  apparently 
from  ten  to  twenty  years  of  age.  They  were  mostly 
engaged  in  feats  of  strength,  speed,  or  agility ;  each 
emulous  to  surpass  his  fellows  in  those  exercises,  for 
which  youth  of  their  age  generally  possess  a  strong 
predilection.  Presently  the  sound  of  a  horn  summoned 
all  to  the  business  of  the  afternoon.  The  sports  were 
dropped  as  by  magic.  Now  you  may  see  them  seated 
singly  or  in  pairs,  or  in  small  groups,  with  book  in 
hand,  conning  over  their  afternoon's  lesson.  One  por- 
tion resorted  immediately  to  the  hall,  and  ranging 
themselves  before  the  preceptor  in  semi-circular  order, 
handed  him  a  book  containing  their  recitations.  He 
seemed  not  to  look  into  the  book  and  presently  closed 
it ;  thinking,  I  supposed,  he  knew  as  well  as  the  book. 

"Of  the  recitation  I  understood  not  a  syllable,  yet  it 
was  highly  agreeable  to  the  ear,  sonorous  and  musical; 
and,  although  more  than  sixty  winters  have  rolled 
away  since  that  time,  the  impressions  then  made  have 
not  been  entirely  effaced  from  my  memory.  I  have 
since  discovered  that  the  recitation  was  a  portion  of 
thnt  beautiful  Greek  verb,  twpto,  in  which  the  sound 
of  the  consonants,  pi,  tau,  mu,  theta,  predominate.  It 
was  observable  that  during  the  recitation  the  preceptor 
gave  no  instructions,  corrected  no  errors,  made  no 
remarks  of  any  kind.  He  seemed  to  sit  merely  as  a 
silent  witness  of  the  performance.  The  class  itself 
resembled  one  of  those  self  regulating  machines  of 
which  I  have  heard.  Each  member  stood  ready,  by 
trapping  and  turning  down,  to  correct  the  mishaps  and 
mistakes  of  his  fellows ;  and  as  much  emulation  was 
discovered  here  as  had  been  an  hour  before  on  the 
theatre  of  their  sports  in  their  athletic  exercises. 


William  Graham  129 

"During  this  recitation  an  incipient  smile  of  appro- 
bation was  more  than  once  observed  on  the  countenance 
of  the  preceptor,  maugre  [in  spite  of]  his  native  gravity 
and  reserve.  This  happened  when  small  boys,  by  their 
superior  scholarship,  raised  themselves  above  those  who 
were  full  grown.  This  class  having  gone  through,  sev- 
eral others,  in  regular  order,  presented  themselves  before 
the  teacher  and  passed  the  ordeal.  The  business  of 
the  afternoon  was  closed  by  a  devotional  exercise 
*  *  *  The  systematic  order  of  the  place  struck  my 
attention.  A  signal  called  the  whole  school  together; 
a  signal  announced  the  hour  of  recitation;  each  class 
was  summoned  by  a  signal.  These  signals  were  obeyed 
without  delay — and  without  noise.  The  students  might 
pursue  their  studies  in  the  hall  or  the  open  air,  as 
pleased  them  best.  Talking  or  reading  aloud  was  not 
permitted  in  the  hall.  The  dignity  of  the  preceptor  and 
his  well  known  fitness  for  the  station  gave  him  respect- 
ability, and  he  was  respected.     *     *    *    " 

On  May  1,  1776,  the  presbytery  met  again  at  Timber 
Ridge  Church.  Two  days  later  (May  3),  it  went  in  a 
body  to  Mt.  Pleasant,  and  again  held  its  session  in  the 
academy  building  and  proceeded  to  examine  Graham's 
school.  Again  the  presbytery  listened  to  recitations 
in  Greek  and  Latin,  heard  some  orations  delivered 
and  gave  formal  approval  to  teacher  and  student*. 
There  is,  probably,  no  other  case  like  this  on  record, 
wherein  a  presbytery  emphasized  its  absolute  owner- 
ship of  the  school  by  formally  organizing  itself  in  the 
schoolroom  and  for  a  time  assuming  complete  control 
of  the  work  and  exercises  of  the  students. 

Mr.  Graham  reported  that  in  accordance  with  the 
order  of  the  presbytery  he  had  purchased  books  and  ap- 
paratus for  the  use  of  the  Academy  to  the  amount  of 
about  160  pounds  and  that  the  gentlemen  appointed 
by  the  presbytery  had  collected  and  paid  into  his  hands 
about  128  pounds,  in  Virginia  money. 


130  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

On  the  6th  of  May,  1776,  Presbytery  decided  to  re- 
move the  Augusta  Academy  from  Mt.  Pleasant  to  Tim- 
ber Ridge  Church  for  the  following  reasons : — 

(1)  Timber  Ridge  Church  is  a  convenient  place; 

(2)  The  Timber  Ridge  Church  has  secured  as  pastor, 
Rev.  William  Graham,  Rector  of  the  Academy; 

(3)  Capt  Alexander  Stewart  and  Mr.  Samuel 
Houston  have  each  offered  to  give  forty  acres  of  land 
as  a  site  for  the  school ; 

(4)  The  congregation  of  Timber  Ridge  Church 
offers  to  erect  a  building  for  the  Academy. 

On  the  same  day.  May  6th,  Presbytery  appointed  a 
board  of  trustees  consisting  of  twenty-four  members, 
five  of  them  Presbyterian  ministers,  namely  William 
Graham,  John  Brown,  James  Waddell,  Charles  Cum- 
nings  and  William  Irwin,  with  nineteen  elders  and  lay- 
men from  the  Presbyterian  Church.  The  presbytery 
reserved  to  itself,  however,  "The  right  of  visitation  for- 
ever, as  often  as  they  shall  judge  it  necessary;  and  of 
choosing  the  Rector  and  his  assistant."  John  Mont- 
gomery, afterwards  a  Presbyterian  minister,  was  at  that 
time  Mr.  Graham's  assistant. 

The  executive  committee  of  this  board  was  also 
named  by  the  presbytery.  This  committee  met  on 
May  13,  1776.  It  consisted  of  one  minister  and  five 
elders  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  viz:  Rev.  William 
Graham  and  Alexander  Stewart,  Samuel  Lyle,  Charles 
Campbell,  John  Houston  and  William  McKee.  These 
men  gave  to  the  school,  in  its  new  location,  the  name 
of  Liberty  Hall  Academy,  most  probably  for  the  reason 
that  Liberty  Hall  was  the  name  of  the  country  home 
of  the  family  of  Rev.  John  Brown  in  county  Limerick, 
Ireland.  (See  Report  of  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Education, 
No.  2:  p.  306.)  The  committee  also  secured  the  erec- 
tion of  the  school  building.  As  it  stood  ready  for  Wil- 
liam Graham  in  1777,  The  Liberty  Hall  Academy  pos- 
sessed 80  acres  of  land,  two  houses,  a  library  of  300  vol- 


William  Graham  131 

umes  and  some  apparatus,  all  of  the  value  of  about  400 
pounds,  or  nearly  two  thousand  dollars. 

"This  Academy,"  says  Dr.  Henry  Ruffncr  (Hist. 
Papers  I.,  25),  "owed  its  foundation,  first,  to  the  en- 
lightened policy  and  pious  zeal  of  the  Presbyterian 
clergy  of  the  land;  secondly,  to  the  contributions  of 
the  Presbyterian  people  of  the  Valley;  thirdly,  to  the 
energy  and  talents  of  the  rector  [Rev.  Wm.  Graham]  ; 
and,  lastly,  to  the  attention  given  to  its  affairs  by  a 
few  of  the  neighboring  trustees,  and  the  gratuitous  aid 
in  land,  labor  and  materials,  given  by  some  members 
of  the  Timber  Ridge  congregation." 

In  1777  the  region  in  which  Liberty  Hall  Academy 
was  located  was  laid  off  as  Rockbridge  County.  A 
call  for  soldiers  to  fight  in  the  Revolutionary  army 
was  sent  out  by  the  Virginia  legislature.  When  the 
people  of  Rockbridge  met  together  to  consider  this  call, 
they  were  addressed  by  W^illiam  Graham.  He  urged 
the  men  to  offer  themselves  for  the  battle,  but  only  a 
few  stepped  forward.  Then  Graham  walked  out  from 
the  crowd  and  offered  himself  as  a  soldier.  A  large 
number  of  men  followed  him;  the  company  of  soldiers 
was  made  up  at  once  and  William  Graham  was  chosen 
Captain.  In  a  later  chapter  of  this  book  we  shall  see 
him  leading  his  men  to  meet  Tarleton's  British  horse- 
men on  the  Blue  Ridge  near  Charlottesville. 

In  1778  the  Trustees  appointed  by  the  presbytery 
in  1776  prepared  a  petition  and  sent  it  to  the  Virginia 
legislature,  asking  for  the  incorporation  of  the  school. 
Since  the  Hanover  Presbytery  was  then  engaged  in 
the  struggle  before  the  legislature  to  secure  complete 
separation  of  church  and  state  affairs,  the  charter  of 
incorporation  was  not  granted.  In  1779,  the  Liberty 
Hall  Academy  was  removed  to  Graham's  farm  near 
the  town  of  Lexington,  the  county  seat  of  Rockbridge. 
On  the  24th  of  October,  1782,  the  Presbytery  of  Han- 
over appointed  eight  ministers  and  seven  Presbyterian 


132  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

laymen  and  elders  as  additional  trustees  to  fill  va- 
cancies in  the  board  of  trustees  of  Liberty  Hall 
Academy.  Within  less  time  than  one  month  after 
the  appointment  of  these  members,  the  Rector,  William 
Graham,  in  the  name  of  the  board  appointed  by  the 
presbytery  sent  the  following  petition  to  the  legis- 
lature : — 

"To  the  honourable,  the  Speaker  and  gentlemen  of  the 
House  of  Delegates,  the  petition  of  the  Trustees 
of  Liberty  Hall  Academy  most  humbly  showeth, 
"That  your  petitioners,  very  sensible  of  the  great 
utility  arising  from  the  regular  education  of  youth, 
have  for  some  time  been  associated  for  that  purpose; 
and  finding  our  efforts  attended  with  good  success,  are 
induced,  from  the  experiment  made,  to  believe  that  a 
seminary  may  here  be  conducted  to  very  general  ad- 
vantage. And  we  are  the  rather  inclined  to  be  more 
fully  of  this  opinion,  when  we  consider  the  extensive 
fertile  country  around  the  place,  the  fine  air  and  pure 
water  with  which  it  is  blessed,  contributing  so  power- 
fully to  health  of  body;  having  also  procured  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Lexington  for  the  use  of  the  Academy,  a  valuable 
library  of  well  chosen  books  and  a  considerable  mathe- 
mathical  and  philosophical  apparatus.  Under  these 
advantages  and  many  more  that  might  be  named,  we 
doubt  not,  should  we  be  so  happy  as  to  obtain  the  ap- 
probation and  patronage  of  the  honourable  house,  of 
being  instruments  under  the  smiles  of  Heaven,  of 
conveying  down  to  posterity,  the  most  valuable  bless- 
ing and  the  purest  pledge  of  true  patriotism  we  are 
capable  of. 

"We,  therefore,  pray  the  honourable  Assembly  to 
take  the  matter  under  consideration  and  grant  us  an 
act  of  incorporation  with  such  powers  and  privileges 
as  will  enable  us  and  our  successors  more  effectually 


William  Graham  133 

to  carry  on  the  laudable  design  and  give  all  possible 
encouragement  to  a  polite  and  solid  education. 

"We  hope  also  that  a  patriot  Assembly  will  see  the 
reasonableness  of,  and  grant  an  exemption  from  militia 
draughts,  to  the  professors  and  masters  of  the  said  sem- 
inary and  to  all  students  thereto  belonging,  under  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years.  And  your  petitioners  as  in 
duty  bound  shall  pray. 

"Signed  in  behalf  of  the  Trustees. 

"Wm.  Graham,  C.  B." 

"James  Lyle,  Jr.,  Clerk." 


In  response  to  this  request,  the  legislature  on  Decem- 
ber 13,  1782,  passed  a  law  forming  the  trustees 
appointed  by  the  Hanover  Presbytery  into  a  body 
called  a  corporation.*  This  body,  in  1782,  consisted 
of  twenty  members ;  four  of  these  were  minister,  Wil- 
liam Graham,  Caleb  Wallace,  John  Montgomery  and 
William  Wilson,  and  sixteen  were  elders  and  members 
of  the  churches  of  the  presbytery.  Seven  members  of 
the  incorporated  board  were  members  of  the  board  of 
1776. 

It  was  not  the  desire  nor  the  purpose  of  the  Presby- 

*The  Journal  of  the  House  for  November  23.  1782,  contains  the 
following :  "Mr.  Thornton  presented  from  Committee  for  Religion 

"  'A  petition  of  the  trustees  of  Liberty  Hall  Academy,  in  the 
county  of  Rockbridge;  setting  forth  that  they  are  possessed  of 
land  and  other  property,  and  conceive  it  would  be  a  great  advan- 
tage to  the  institution  to  incorporate  the  same;  and  praying 
that  an  act  may  pass  to  that  effect.' 

"Referred  to  Committee." 

The  Journal  for  November  27,  1782,  quotes :  "Charles  Carter 
reported  from  Com. 

"That  it  is  the  opinion  of  this  Com.  that  the  petition  of  the 
trustees  of  Liberty  Hall  Academy,  praying  an  act  of  incorpora- 
tion to  enable  them  and  their  successors  more  effectually  to 
encourage  and  promote  literature,  and  that  the  professors,  mas- 
ters and  students  thereof,  under  the  age  of  twenty-one  years, 
may  be  exempted  from  military  drafts,  is  reasonable." 

Journal  for  December  1.3,  1782:  "Engrossed  bill  'for  incorpo- 
rating the  rector  and  trustees  of  Liberty  Hall  Academy'  was 
read  third  time;"  then  the  motion  to  pass  prevailed. 


134  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

tery  in  permitting  its  trustees  to  secure  incorporation, 
to  surrender  control  of  the  Academy.  The  incorpo- 
ration of  the  presbytery's  trustees  was  the  only  way 
then  open  under  the  laws  of  Virginia  whereby  the  pres- 
bytery could  own  or  manage  its  property.  A  few 
months  later  (May,  1784)  in  a  memorial  address  to 
the  legislature  of  Virginia,  the  presbytery  used  these 
words : — "The  Episcopal  Church  is  actually  incorpo- 
rated and  known  in  law  as  a  body,  so  that  it  can  receive 
and  possess  property  for  ecclesiastical  purposes  with- 
out trouble  or  risk  in  securing  it,  while  other  Chris- 
tian communities  are  obliged  to  trust  to  the  precarious 
fidelity  of  trustees  chosen  for  the  purpose." 

Since  the  presbytery  was  thus  compelled  to  resort, 
in  October,  1782,  to  "the  precarious  fidelity  of  trustees  " 
they  were  careful  in  the  choice  of  the  members  of  the 
Board  which  was  to  perpetuate  itself. 

Eleven  members  of  the  incorporated  Board  came 
together,  January  30,  1783,  to  organize  the  new  admin- 
istration of  the  academy.     They  were  the  following: 

Rev.  William  Graham,  Rector. 

John  Bowyer,  of  Botetourt  County,  member  of  Pres- 
bytery's Board  of  1776. 

Andrew  Moore,  of  Lexington. 

W^illiam  Alexander,  of  Timber  Ridge  Church,  father 
of  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander. 

Joseph  Walker,  of  Falling  Spring  Church. 

Alexander  Campbell,  of  Timber  Ridge  Church. 

John  Wilson,  of  Augusta  County. 

John  Trimble,  of  Rockbridge  County. 

John  Hayes,  Oif  Hayes'  Creek. 

William  McKee,  Timber  Ridge  Church,  member  of 
the  Board  of  1776. 

Samuel  Lyle,  Timber  Ridge  Church,  member  of  the 
Board  of  1776. 

These  eleven  members  were  all  Presbyterians.  Four 
of  the  eleven  were  members  of  the  board  of  1776.     Nine 


William  Graham  135 

of  them  were  from  the  churches  of  Rockbridge  County, 
one  was  from  Botetourt  and  one  from  Augusta. 

The  transfer  of  the  school  from  the  control  of  the 
presbytery  to  that  of  a  self-perpetuating  board  was 
thus  merely  nominal.  Every  member  of  the  new  board 
was  part  and  parcel  of  the  presbytery  itself.  There 
was  no  purpose  on  the  part  of  the  presbytery  to  sur- 
render the  school  which  it  had  established.  The  self- 
perpetuating  board  was  placed  in  charge,  to  guard  the 
interests  of  the  presbytery,  simply  because  a  charter 
could  not  be  obtained  in  any  other  way.  In  the  fol- 
lowing year,  1783,  Hampden  Sidney  College  secured 
a  charter  in  exactly  the  same  way,  and  was  likewise 
placed  under  the  control  of  a  self-perpetuating  board. 

William  Graham,  Founder  of  Liberty  Hall  Acad- 
emy, was  a  great  and  successful  teacher  of  Greek  and 
Latin  literature.  He  was  also  an  inspiring  teacher  of 
the  philosophy  of  the  mind.  Through  the  reading 
of  books  and  through  long  years  of  meditation,  Graham 
formulated  a  system  of  mental  philosophy  which  was 
peculiarly  his  own  and  of  which  one  of  his  students,  Dr. 
Archibald  Alexander,  afterwards  said  that  it  was,  "in 
clearness  and  fulness,  superior"  to  'any  other  system 
set  forth  up  to  that  time.  After  1789  he  was  pastor  of 
the  New  Monmouth  and  Lexington  churches.  Dr. 
Alexander  tells  us  that  Graham's  manner  of  delivery 
was  usually  "rather  feeble  and  embarrassed,  and  his 
dark-colored  eyes  had  rather  a  dull  appearance."  Some- 
times, however,  says  Alexander,  he  became  excited,  his 
eyes  took  on  a  piercing  look  and  his  whole  manner  was 
full  of  expression.  On  rare  occasions  he  spoke  to  the 
people  with  the  same  zeal,  no  doubt,  that  he  showed  on  a 
certain  occasion,  when  he  made  a  visit  to  the  Briery 
congregation  in  Prince  Edward  County,  Virginia.  On 
that  particular  Sunday  morning  John  Blair  Smith 
preached  the  first  sermon.  The  sacrament  was  then 
administered  and  afterwards  William  Graham  preached 


136  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders  " 

from  Isaiah  40:1,  "Comfort  ye,  comfort  ye,  my  people, 
saith  your  God."  Strong  and  tender  feeling  were 
shown  in  his  voice  and  manner  and  "he  poured  forth 
gospel  truth  like  floods  of  milk  and  wine,"  wrote  one 
who  heard  him ;  "while  the  melting  eyes  and  glowing 
countenances  of  a  large  assembly  showed  that  many 
were  eating  as  friends  and  drinking  abundantly  of  the 
consolations  provided  for  them  of  their  God.  He 
brought  some  of  his  young  people  with  him  [from  the 
Valley  of  Virginia],  hoping  that  in  the  midst  of  the 
outpouring  of  the  Spirit  they  might  receive  the  grace 
of  God.  His  hopes  were  not  in  vain.  Archibald  Alex- 
ander was  one  of  that  young  company." 

Graham's  sermon  at  Briery  made  a  deep  Impression 
and  was  remembered  for  years.  A  young  member  of 
the  Briery  congregation  asked  Mr.  Graham  how  long 
it  had  taken  him  to  compose  the  sermon.  "About 
twenty  years,"   replied  Graham. 

From  1789  onwards  for  several  years,  Graham  gave 
regular  instruction  in  the  Academy  at  Lexington  to  a 
class  of  theological  students.  Seven  or  eight  young 
men  were  in  regular  attendance  upon  his  courses  of 
study  in  preparation  for  the  ministry. 

In  1791,  the  Synod  of  Virginia  proposed  to  institute 
some  "plan  calculated  to  educate  persons  designed  for 
the  Gospel  Ministry."  Synod  recommended  that  there 
be  two  general  "seminaries"  for  "religious  instruction," 
under  the  patronage  of  that  body,  one  in  Rockbridge, 
Virginia,  under  Rev.  Wm.  Graham,  the  other  in  Wash- 
ington County,  Pennsylvania,  under  Rev.  John  McMil- 
lan. In  1792  at  W^inchester,  Synod  requested  the  Board 
of  Liberty  Hall  Academy  to  fill  vacancies  out  of  the 
Presbyteries  of  Hanover  and  Lexington,  that  the  Acad- 
emy might  become  one  of  the  seminaries  of  the  s3aiod. 

In  1793,  the  trustees  of  the  academy  agreed  to 
Synod's  conditions,  and  stated  that  they  had  contracted 
for  new  buildings  to  the  amount  of  900  pounds,  and 


William  Graham  137 

asked  Synod's  aid.  Synod  enjoined  it  upon  the  two 
presbyteries  to  raise  money  for  the  Academy.  This 
work  was  done  at  once  by  the  presbyteries,  and  on  the 
1st  of  January,  1794,  the  new  stone  building  was  oc- 
cupied by  Rector  Graham.  He  now  held  the  twofold 
position  of  Professor  of  Theology  under  the  synod,  and 
Principal  of  the  Academy  under  the  chartered  board. 

Thus  the  stone  ruins  of  Liberty  Hall  Academy, 
still  standing  on  the  hill  near  Lexington,  represent  the 
Academy  building  erected,  in  yart,  hy  the  two  presby- 
teries as  the  first  Theological  Seminary  in  Virginia. 

Dr.  Archibald  Alexander,  in  his  address  before  the 
alumni  of  Washington  College,  1843,  states  that  prior 
to  this  coalition  between  the  Academy  and  the  synod, 
Rector  Graham  was  a  teacher  of  theology  and  that 
"most  of  those  who  entered  the  holy  ministry  in  this 
Valley"  were  prepared  for  the  ministerial  work  by 
Graham.  After  the  coalition  with  the  synod,  "Mr. 
Graham  had  a  theological  class  of  seven  or  eight  mem- 
bers," says  Dr.  Alexander,  "which  was  kept  up  for 
several  years."  The  seminary  was  continued  until 
the  resignation  of  the  offices  of  rector  and  theologian  by 
Mr.  Graham  in  1796. 

Early  in  the  year  1796,  the  trustees  of  Liberty  Hall 
Academy  heard  of  the  purpose  of  General  George 
Washington  to  devote  certain  shares  of  canal  stock  to 
some  school  located  on  the  waters  of  the  James  River. 
These  shares  had  been  offered  to  Washington  as  an 
expression  of  esteem  by  the  legislature  of  Virginia.  He 
refused  to  accept  the  money  for  himself,  but  announced 
his  readiness  to  bestow  it  upon  some  institution  of 
learning  in  the  mountain  region  of  the  state.  The 
trustees  of  Liberty  Hall  came  together  and  asked 
Graham  to  prepare  a  statement  to  be  sent  to  General 
Washington.  In  the  name  of  the  trustees,  Graham 
wrote,  in  part,  as  follows: — 

«     #     *     «     ^g  early  as  the  year  1776  a  seminary 


138  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

before  conducted  in  these  parts  under  the  form  of  a 
grammar  school  received  the  nominal  title  of  an  acad- 
emy and  money  was  collected  to  purchase  the  begin- 
nings of  a  library  and  some  of  the  most  essential  parts 
of  a  mathematical  and  philosophical  apparatus. 

"The  question  then  was,  where  should  the  seminary 
be  fixed?  Staunton  was  proposed  by  some."  Graham 
spoke  of  the  headwaters  of  the  James  River  as  more 
convenient  within  the  upper  country  than  Staunton. 

"We  therefore  concluded,"  he  writes,  "that  some  spot 
in  the  tract  of  country  now  known  as  Rockbridge 
would  be  the  proper  place.  We,  therefore,  organized 
the  seminary  and  set  it  in  motion.  *  *  *  Through 
the  calamities  of  a  long  and  dangerous  war  *  *  • 
we  were  enabled  to  preserve  the  Academy  in  a  state 
of  considerable  reputation  and  usefulness  until  the 
year  1782,  when  we  were  aided  by  an  act  of  incorpo- 
ration from  the  legislature  of  Virginia,  which  was  the 
first  granted  after  the  Revolution."  "There  is  one 
fact  more,"  continued  Graham,  "which  we  would  beg 
leave  to  state.  In  1793  by  voluntary  contribution  and 
some  sacrifice  of  private  property,  we  were  enabled 
to  erect  and  finish  plain  but  neat  buildings,  sufficiently 
capacious  to  accommodate  between  forty  and  fifty  stu- 
dents, and  the  business  of  education  is  now  in  full  train 
and  the  seminary  is  in  as  high  reputation  as  could  be 
expected  without  funds.  *  *  *  The  buildings  and 
other  furniture  of  the  Academy  could  not  be  estimated 
at  much  less  than  two  thousand  pounds." 

This  sum  of  two  thousand  pounds,  that  is  about 
ten  thousand  dollars,  constituted  the  original  endow- 
ment of  Liberty  Hall  Academy.  For  that  day  and 
time  it  was  no  small  amount  and  was  made  up  from 
the  gifts  of  the  Presbyterian  people  of  Virginia. 

Graham  wrote  to  Washington  as  if  speaking  for  the 
Hanover  Presbytery  and  as  referring  to  the  debates  in 
that  body  over  the  location  of  the  school.     The  board 


WilUam  Graham  139 

of  trustees,  in  whose  behalf  he  sent  the  petition, 
claimed  an  origin  prior  to  the  war  of  the  Revolution. 
In  the  minds  of  the  members  of  this  board,  they  evi- 
dently regarded  themselves  as  constituting  the  same 
official  body  that  was  created  by  the  act  of  Hanover 
Presbytery  in  1776.  As  such  they  asked  General  Wash- 
ington for  the  shares  of  stock,  and  to  this  board  as 
representing  and  continuing  the  board  of  1776  Wash- 
ington gave  the  money.  During  the  darkest  period 
of  the  Revolution,  Washington  had  said  that  if  he 
should  be  driven  from  every  other  position  he  would 
make  a  final  stand  in  Augusta  County,  Virginia.  He 
was  now  merely  turning  over  some  of  Virginia's  money 
to  the  people  who  had  done  more  than  any  other  Vir- 
ginians to  defend  the  commonwealth  against  the  British. 
The  trustees  recognized  his  generosity  by  naming  the 
school  Washington  Academy.  Afterwards  it  was  called 
Washington  College  and  later  still,  the  Washington  and 
Lee  University. 

The  income  received  by  Graham  for  his  work  as 
teacher  and  preacher  was  not  large  enough  to  furnish 
bread  to  his  family.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  year 
1796,  therefore,  he  gave  up  his  position  as  Rector  of 
the  Academy  and  moved  westward  into  the  Ohio  Valley. 
It  was  his  purpose  to  establish  a  Scotch-Irish  colony 
upon  a  large  tract  of  land  near  the  Ohio  River.  A 
journey  to  Richmond  became  necessary  in  order  to 
secure  the  title  to  the  land.  The  long  horseback  ride 
through  the  wilderness  fatigued  him.  The  chilling 
effects  of  the  rains  that  fell  upon  his  slender  frame  dur- 
ing the  journey  brought  on  serious  sickness  and  Mr. 
Graham  suddenly  died  in  Richmond  in  June,  1788.  His 
body  was  laid  to  rest  in  that  city  near  the  south  door 
of  St,  John's  Church,  Thus  passed  away  the  principal 
founder  of  Washington  College.  We  shall  look  upon 
his  work  again,  in  this  volume,  in  connection  with  the 
final  battle  in  behalf  of  religious  freedom. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

SAMUEL   STANHOPE    SMITH,    JOHN    BLAIR    SMITH    AND 
HAMPDEN    SIDNEY    COLLEGE. 

Just  before  the  beginnings  of  the  Revolution,  two  men  of 
God  came  southward  from  Pennsylvania  to  help  the 
causes  of  education  and  religion.  They  were  brothers 
and  both  had  received  their  early  training  in  the  log  col- 
lege of  their  father,  Robert  Smith,  among  the  Scotch- 
Irish  at  Pequa,  Pennsylvania.  Both  attended  Princeton 
College.  Samuel  Stanhope  Smith,  the  elder  brother,  was 
licensed  to  preach  and  came  to  try  his  gifts  in  Prince 
Edward,  Cumberland  and  Charlotte  counties,  in  Vir- 
ginia. He  told  the  members  of  Hanover  Presbytery 
about  William  Graham  and,  through  Smith's  influence, 
Graham  was  made  principal  of  John  Brown's  Academy 
in  the  Valley.  At  the  same  session  of  the  presbytery  at 
which  Graham  was  appointed,  that  is,  in  October,  1774<, 
it  was  decided  to  start  a  subscription  in  behalf  of  an 
academy  to  be  located  on  the  south  side  of  the  Blue  Ridge, 
in  Prince  Edward  or  in  Cumberland,  Virginia.  It  was 
made  a  part  of  the  record  of  Presbytery  that  Samuel 
Stanhope  Smith  would  probably  take  charge  of  the 
school.  The  work  of  raising  money  was  completed  within 
less  than  four  months.  Early  in  February,  1775,  the 
presbytery  held  a  special  meeting  to  consider  the  prob- 
lem of  making  the  best  use  of  the  sum  of  about  six  thou- 
sand five  hundred  dollars  which  had  been  subscribed  by 
the  Presbyterians  of  eastern  Virginia.  They  decided  to 
build  an  academy  in  Prince  Edward  County  upon  a 
plot  of  ground  given  for  the  purpose  by  Peter  Johnston. 
Samuel  Stanhope  Smith  was  chosen  Rector  of  the  Prince 

140 


Samuel  Stanhope  Smith  and  John  Blair  Smith   141 

Edward  Academy.  A  board  of  trustees  was  appointed 
to  manage  the  money  affairs  of  the  school.  This  board 
consisted  of  five  ministers,  namely:  Samuel  Stanhope 
Smith,  Richard  Sankey  of  Buffalo  Church,  in  Char- 
lotte, John  Todd  of  Louisa,  Samuel  Leake  of  Albe- 
marle and  Caleb  Wallace  of  Cub  Creek  Church,  with 
eight  elders  and  Presbyterian  laymen.  At  the  same 
time  the  presbytery  sent  out  an  address  in  which  they 
assured  the  people  of  the  commonwealth  that  although, 
in  the  management  of  the  Academy,  "the  strictest  regard 
shall  be  paid  to  the  morals  of  the  youth  and  worship 
carried  on,  evening  and  morning,  in  the  Presbyterian 
way;  yet,  on  the  other  hand,  all  possible  care  shall  be 
taken  that  no  undue  influence  be  used  by  any  member 
of  this  presbytery,  the  Rector,  or  any  assistant,  to 
bias  the  judgment  of  any;  but  that  all  [students],  of 
every  denomination,  shall  fully  en^oy  their  own  religious 
sentiments  and  be  at  liberty  to  attend  that  mode  of 
public  worship  that  either  custom  or  conscience  makes 
most  agreeable  to  them,  when  and  where  they  may  have 
an  opportunity  of  enjoying  it." 

This  was  broad  ground  upon  which  the  presby- 
tery stood  in  the  matter  of  managing  the  two  acad- 
emies that  were  just  then  coming  under  the  control 
of  the  presbytery.  Sectarian  the  schools  certainly  were, 
in  the  broad  meaning  of  that  term,  for  they  were 
the  property  of  the  Presbyterian  sect.  Sectarian  in  the 
narrow  and  objectionable  sense  the  schools  certainly 
were  not.  They  were  not  established  for  the  purpose  of 
Presbyterianizing  the  students  who  attended  them. 
The  fundamental  principles  of  the  Christian  religion 
were  to  be  taught  and  the  students  were  to  be  called 
together  twice  a  day  for  the  worship  of  God.  Beyond 
that,  each  student  was  to  be  left  to  the  freedom  of  his 
own  choice  in  the  matter  of  his  religious  beliefs  and 
worship.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  up  to  that  time  no  school 
had  been  placed  upon  foundations  so  free  and  liberal. 


142  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

In  the  autumn  of  1775  the  presbytery  added  five 
members  to  the  board  of  trustees,  namely:  The  Rev- 
erend David  Rice,  Colonel  Patrick  Henry,  Colonel 
John  Tabb,  Colonel  William  Cabell  and  Colonel  James 
Madison,  Jr.  Henry  and  Madison,  and  perhaps  the  other 
two  laymen  just  named  were  not  Presbyterians.  In 
November,  1775,  Samuel  Stanhope  Smith  became  the 
regular  pastor  of  the  Cumberland  and  Prince  Edward 
churches.  Then  in  January,  1776,  the  work  of  the 
Prince  Edward  Academy  began.  John  Blair  Smith,  as 
first  assistant,  and  Samuel  Doak  and  David  Wither- 
spoon  as  assistants,  were  associated  with  the  Rector. 

The  walls  of  the  academy  building  were  meanwhile 
rising,  log  upon  log.  In  May,  1776,  these  walls  were 
about  three  feet  high.  About  one  hundred  and  ten  stu- 
dents had  come  by  that  time  to  secure  the  advantages 
of  the  academy.  Since  the  homes  of  the  people  who 
dwelt  near  the  place  could  not  hold  these  young  men, 
they  were  allowed  to  build  little  huts  with  the  shingles 
that  were  intended  to  form  the  roof  of  the  academy. 
Eight  or  ten  of  these  huts  were  erected  and  the  stu- 
dents were  packed  within,  as  one  of  them  said,  like  the 
grains  of  sugar  in  a  sugar  loaf.  There  was  only 
one  plank  as  a  seat  for  three  or  four  boys.  At  night  a 
candle  was  placed  in  each  hut,  and  there,  until  nine 
or  ten  o'clock  every  night,  the  young  men  were  busy 
with  their  studies. 

After  July,  1776,  all  of  the  students  over  sixteen  years 
of  age,  about  sixty-five  in  number,  were  organized  as  a 
military  company.  John  Blair  Smith  was  chosen  cap- 
tain. Each  of  the  young  soldiers  wore  as  a  uniform 
a  hunting  shirt  colored  with  purple  dye.  The  next  year 
(1777)  the}'^  answered  the  governor's  call  and  marched 
to  Williamsburg  to  meet  the  British. 

In  October,  1779,  Samuel  Stanhope  Smith  gave  up 
his  work  in  Prince  Edward  and  went  to  New  Jersey 
to  become  a  teacher  in  Princeton   College,  and  after- 


Samuel  Stanhope  Smith  and  John  Blair  Smith   143 

ward  president  of  that  school.  His  brother,  John 
Blair  Smith,  was  ordained  as  a  minister  and  was  at  the 
same  time  made  Rector  of  Prince  Edward  Academy. 
In  October,  1782,  the  Hanover  Presbytery  appointed 
trustees  to  fill  vacancies  in  the  boards  of  both  of  its 
schools.  Liberty  Hall  and  Prince  Edward  Academy. 
The  Liberty  Hall  trustees  secured  at  once  an  act  of 
incorporation.  In  the  following  year,  1783,  the  leg- 
islature incorporated  the  Prince  Edward  Academy 
under  the  title  of  Hampden-Sidney  College.  The  board 
of  trustees,  appointed  by  the  presbytery  and  incorpo- 
rated, consisted  of  five  ministers,  namely:  John  Blair 
Smith,  Richard  Sankey,  John  Todd,  David  Rice  and 
Archibald  McRoberts,  with  twenty-two  elders  and  lay- 
men ;  two  or  three  of  the  latter,  such  as  Patrick  Henry 
and  James  Madison,  were  outside  of  the  Presbyterian 
fold.  The  college  building  was  by  this  time  completed, 
and  every  year  its  rooms  were  crowded  with  students. 

John  Blair  Smith,  president  of  the  college,  was  pas- 
tor also  of  the  Cumberland  and  Briery  Churches.  In 
addition  to  this  work,  he  also  spent  much  of  his  time 
in  teaching  theology  to  some  young  men  who  were 
under  preparation  as  preachers  of  the  gospel.  More- 
over, he  took  a  leading  part  in  the  battle  for  religious 
freedom,  as  we  shall  learn  later.  In  the  year  1787  Presi- 
dent Smith's  earnest  preaching  brought  about  a  revival 
of  religion  which  spread  from  the  College  throughout 
Virginia  and  the  Carolinas.  Of  this  revival  we  shall 
learn  more  in  a  later  chapter  of  this  book. 

In  1789  Smith  gave  up  the  presidency  of  the  Col- 
lege, and  at  a  later  time  became  pastor  of  a  church  in 
Philadelphia,  and  then  president  of  Union  College, 
New  York.  He  died  in  1799  and  was  laid  to  rest  in 
Philadelphia. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  WINNING  OF  THE  BATTLE  AT  KING*S  MOUNTAIN. 

One  bright  Sunday  morning  in  the  month  of  June, 
1780,  a  company  of  men,  wearing  the  red  coats 
of  British  soldiers,  rode  up  Fishing  Creek  within  the 
limits  of  the  present  Chester  County,  South  Carolina. 
They  were  looking  for  the  log  building  used  as  a  house 
of  worship  by  one  of  the  Presbyterian  congregations  of 
which  John  Simpson  was  the  pastor.  When  they  came 
to  the  church  they  found  the  door  closed.  The  congre- 
gation was  not  assembled  on  that  day,  for  they  had 
heard  about  the  approach  of  the  British.  The  soldiers 
then  went  to  the  house  of  Simpson,  which  was  near  at 
hand.  Simpson's  wife  and  children  fled,  and  the  cruel 
soldiers  set  fire  to  the  house  and  burned  it  to  the  ground. 
They  burned,  also,  a  small  building  which  contained  all 
of  the  minister's  books.  The  house  of  the  widow  McClure 
was  destroyed  the  same  day,  and  then  the  soldiers  rode 
back  to  their  camp  near  the  mouth  of  Fishing  Creek. 

Just  a  few  days  before  this  raid  was  made,  British 
soldiers  had  been  twice  defeated  in  this  same  region. 
Most  of  the  riflemen  who  won  these  two  victories  were 
members  of  the  Fishing  Creek  and  Bethesda  Churches, 
led  by  John  McClure  and  William  Bratton,  who  had  been 
aroused  to  action  by  the  voice  of  their  preacher,  John 
Simpson.  After  these  fights,  John  McClure,  a  member 
of  one  of  these  congregations,  organized  a  company  of 
horsemen  for  regular  warfare.  Simpson  himself  took 
his  rifle  and  his  horse  and  rode  away  with  McClure  as  a 
soldier  in  his  company.  They  marched  to  join  the  army 
of  patriots   which   General   Thomas   Sumter  was   then 

144 


The  Battle  of  King's  Mountain  145 

gathering  from  among  the  people  of  the  upper  parts  of 
South  Carolina.  On  that  Sunday  morning  when  the 
British  set  fire  to  Simpson's  home,  nearly  all  of  the  men 
of  his  congregation  were  resting  quietly  in  Sumter's 
camp. 

A  brief  glance  at  the  events  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion from  1776  to  1780  will  enable  us  to  understand  the 
situation  at  the  time  when  our  present  story  begins. 
Within  the  first  half  of  the  year  1776,  the  chief  victo- 
ries on  the  American  side  were  won  at  Moore's  Creek 
Bridge,  in  North  Carolina,  and  at  Charles  Town,  South 
Carolina.  Even  the  forcing  of  the  British  out  of  Bos- 
ton, in  March,  1776,  was  effected  through  the  aid  of 
Southern  soldiers.  There  was  only  one  regiment  of 
these,  but  they  were  all  skilled  riflemen  from  the  con- 
gregations of  the  Valley  of  Virginia.  Their  leader, 
Daniel  Morgan,  who  became  an  elder  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  was  in  the  habit  of  praying  for  God's 
blessing  when  he  went  into  battle.  In  1777,  Morgan 
and  his  riflemen  helped  the  men  of  the  Middle  States  to 
win  the  victory  over  Burgoyne's  army  on  the  upper 
Hudson  River. 

Washington's  campaigns  in  New  Jersey  and  Pennsyl- 
vania from  1776  until  1778  were  fought  by  the  soldiers 
of  the  Middle  and  Southern  States.  Six  regiments  from 
a  colony  as  far  south  as  North  Carolina  were  with  Wash- 
ington in  the  battles  around  Philadelphia.  In  July, 
1779,  when  Anthony  Wayne  captured  Stony  Point,  on 
the  Hudson  River,  soldiers  from  North  Carolina  marched 
in  front  with  fixed  bayonets  and  were  the  first  to  rush 
over  the  walls  of  the  fortress. 

During  the  same  period,  from  1776  until  1778,  the 
Southern  colonies  had  to  meet  the  Indians  and  the  Brit- 
ish in  the  West  and  Southwest.  The  Indians  advanced 
against  the  frontiers,  but  each  time  they  w^ere  driven 
back  by  the  men  of  the  mountains.  In  July,  1776,  the 
men  of  the  frontier  won  a  victory  over  the  Indians  at 


146  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

Island  Flats,  on  the  Holston  River,  in  Tennessee. 
About  the  same  time  Robertson  and  Sevier  successfully 
held  Watauga  Fort,  in  Tennessee,  against  an  attack 
by  red  men.  Williamson,  of  South  Carolina,  and  Ruth- 
erford, of  North  Carolina,  united  their  forces  and  laid 
waste  the  villages  of  the  Cherokees.  Then  in  October, 
1776,  Colonel  William  Christian  led  a  force  of  Virgin- 
ians and  North  Carolinians  into  the  Tennessee  country 
and  defeated  the  Cherokees.  On  this  expedition,  as  we 
have  seen,  Charles  Cummings  preached  to  the  soldiers 
at  every  camping  place.  In  the  winter  of  1778-1779, 
George  Rogers  Clark  led  a  force  of  frontier  riflemen 
from  Virginia  and  the  Kentucky  country  into  the 
Northwest  beyond  the  Ohio  River,  and  won  all  of  that 
vast  region  from  the  British.  In  April,  1779,  an  army 
of  one  thousand  North  Carolinians  under  Issac  Shelby 
went  down  the  Tennessee  River  and  subdued  the  savages 
who  had  been  aiding  the  British  in  the  Southwest. 

Near  the  close  of  the  year  1778  the  British  rulers  de- 
cided to  attempt  again  to  conquer  the  South.  From 
1778,  therefore,  until  the  close  of  the  war  in  1781,  the 
fighting  between  the  Americans  and  the  British  was 
chiefly  in  Georgia,  the  Carolinas  and  Virginia.  Savan- 
nah was  captured,  and  then  in  May,  1780,  Charles 
Town  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  British.  Lord  Corn- 
wallis  led  his  forces  into  the  upper  parts  of  Georgia  and 
South  Carolina  and  overran  those  regions.  At  the  Wax- 
haws  in  South  Carolina  a  body  of  British  horsemen  under 
Colonel  Tarleton  fell  upon  Buford's  regiment  of  Virgin- 
ians and  put  most  of  them  to  death  with  great  cruelty. 
The  wounded  men  among  the  Virginians  were  taken  to 
the  Presbyterian  Church  and  there  tenderly  nursed  by 
the  good  women  of  that  congregation.  The  news  of  the 
work  done  by  "Bloody  Tarleton"  spread  like  wildfire 
among  the  Presbyterian  people  who  filled  this  upper 
country.  John  Simpson  continued  to  speak  out  against 
the  cruel  British  invaders  and  the  men  of  his  two  con- 


The  Battle  of  King's  Mountain  147 

gregations,  as  has  been  seen,  led  by  McClurc  and  Brat- 
ton,  won  two  victories  over  British  detachments.  Then 
the  British  soldiers  burned  Simpson's  home  and  his  books 
and  made  many  threats  against  his  people.  This  brings 
us  again  to  the  beginning  of  the  story  about  the  strug- 
gle in  the  upper  parts  of  the  Carolinas. 

General  Rutherford  now  urged  the  men  of  western 
North  Carolina  to  prepare  for  war.  Nine  hundred  of 
them  met  near  Charlotte  and  there  Alexander  Mc- 
Whorter,  Presbyterian  minister  and  president  of  Liberty 
Hall  Academy  in  Charlotte,  spoke  to  the  soldiers.  He 
urged  every  man  to  stand  ready  with  his  rifle  to  defend 
his  country.  When,  therefore,  a  large  force  of  Tories 
assembled  at  Ramseur's  Mill,  near  the  present  town  of 
Lincolnton,  Francis  Locke  of  Rowan  County  led  a  body 
of  Presbyterian  riflemen  to  the  Tory  camps  and  de- 
feated and  scattered  their  force. 

Nearly  a  month  afterwards,  that  is,  in  July,  1780, 
Captain  Huck  led  his  British  cavalry  into  Bethesda 
congregation  in  York  County,  South  Carolina.  This, 
as  we  know,  was  one  of  the  churches  under  the  pastoral 
care  of  John  Simpson.  Huck's  men  tried  to  frighten 
the  women  and  children  to  make  them  tell  where  their 
husbands  and  fathers  were  hiding.  Mary  McClure,  a 
young  girl,  mounted  a  horse  and  rode  rapidly  across 
the  country  to  General  Sumter's  camp.  There  she  told 
her  brothers  about  the  cruelty  of  Captain  Huck.  A 
force  of  about  two  hundred  and  sixty  riflemen,  most  of 
them  from  John  Simpson's  two  congregations,  led  by 
William  Bratton,  Edward  Lacey,  John  McClure,  An- 
drew Neil  and  McConnell,  urged  their  horses  through 
the  forests  and  came  upon  Huck  at  Williamson's  planta- 
tion. At  early  dawn  on  the  morning  of  July  12,  1780, 
the  crashing  report  of  their  rifles  was  heard  in  the  Brit- 
ish camp.  Every  bullet  went  straight  to  its  mark. 
Huck  was  slain,  his  force  was  defeated  and  many  of  his 
men  were  captured. 


148  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

John  Thomas  was  an  elder  of  the  Fairforest  congre- 
gation in  the  present  Spartanburg  County,  South  Car- 
olina. He  was  commander  of  the  Spartanburg  regi- 
ment. Colonel  Thomas  was  captured  by  the  British, 
but  his  son  John  became  leader  of  that  regiment.  On 
the  day  after  Huck's  defeat,  young  Thomas  and  his 
Presbyterian  riflemen  defeated  a  force  of  British  cav- 
alry. At  once,  then,  the  men  of  all  the  Presbyterian 
congregations  in  upper  South  Carolina  went  out  to 
fight.  They  knew  how  to  ride  well  and  to  shoot 
straight.  With  their  long  black-barrelled  rifles  in  their 
hands  they  rode  away  on  horseback  under  the  gallant 
Sumtei?  to  take  part  in  the  fight  against  Cornwallis. 
At  the  same  time  the  men  of  the  North  Carolina 
congregations  followed  William  L.  Davidson  and  Joseph 
Graham  and  William  Richardson  Davie  into  the  field. 
Thomas  H.  McCaule,  pastor  of  Centre  congregation, 
in  Mecklenburg  County,  spent  a  part  of  his  time  in  the 
campaigns  with  Davidson.  Davie  had  been  brought  up 
in  the  home  of  his  uncle,  William  Richardson,  preacher 
at  the  Waxhaws.  He  studied  at  Princeton  College  and 
became  a  lawyer  in  North  Carolina.  Davie  was  not  a 
member  of  any  church,  but  the  Presbyterian  horsemen 
were  ready  to  follow  the  tall,  handsome  young  soldier 
into  battle.  Sumter  and  Davie,  therefore,  joining  their 
forces  together,  struck  the  head  of  the  British  column  at 
Hanging  Rock  and  defeated  it.  Then  Thomas  Taylor, 
afterwards  an  elder  in  the  First  Church  of  Columbia, 
South  Carolina,  led  some  of  Sumter's  men  to  Camden 
Ferry  and  seized  an  entire  British  wagon  train.  After 
receiving  such  blows  as  these,  Cornwallis  knew  that  he 
must  fight  with  all  his  strength  to  keep  his  army  in  the 
upper  country,  or  that  he  must  retreat  to  Charles  Town. 
All  at  once  the  fortune  of  war  changed  in  favor  of 
the  British.  General  Gates  led  his  American  force  to 
Camden,  and  there,  because  of  the  poor  leadership  of 
Gates,  he  lost  the  battle.     Then  Tarleton  made  a  sudden 


The  Battle  of  King's  Mountain  149 

dash  into  Sumter's  camp  and  defeated  him.  John  Simp- 
son, the  preacher,  one  of  Sumter's  men,  was  mending  a 
bridle  when  the  British  soldiers  made  their  attack.  He 
leaped  upon  the  back  of  his  mare  without  a  saddle 
or  bridle,  and  made  her  jump  fences  and  ditches  until 
her  swift  feet  saved  him.  In  the  same  manner  most  of 
Sumter's  men  fled  into  North  Carolina. 

Cornwallis,  thus  encouraged,  took  up  again  the  line  of 
march  northward.  When  he  entered  Mecklenburg 
Covmty  the  men  of  the  seven  churches  of  Mecklenburg 
met  him.  They  were  led  by  Davie,  Joseph  Graham, 
Locke,  Irwin  and  other  gallant  commanders.  Ruther- 
ford had  been  made  a  prisoner  at  Camden.  James  Hall 
was  then  the  pastor  in  charge  of  three  Presbyterian  con- 
gregations at  and  near  the  present  Statesville,  in  Iredell 
County.  When  Cornwallis  first  drew  near  the  upper 
country.  Hall  summoned  his  flocks,  and  in  burning  words 
told  them  about  the  wrongs  suffered  by  their  countrymen 
in  South  Carolina.  He  called  upon  his  people  to  take 
up  arms  and  fight.  A  cavalry  company  was  the  first 
body  of  soldiers  organized.  This  was  made  up  at  once 
and  then  the  men  told  their  minister  that  he  must  lead 
them  into  battle.  Hall  accepted  the  command.  He  was 
more  than  six  feet  in  height  and  possessed  great  bodily 
strength.  He  put  on  a  three-cornered  hat,  buckled  a 
long  sword  about  him  and  rode  away  into  the  field. 
Whenever  his  men  went  into  camp  he  preached  to  them 
the  gospel  of  grace  and  liberty. 

With  leaders  like  these  the  men  who  lived  between  the 
Yadkin  and  Catawba  made  a  bold  resistance.  Corn- 
wallis had  to  fight  for  every  foot  of  ground  over  which 
he  marched.  One  night  Davie  made  a  wide  circuit,  and 
in  the  early  morning  dashed  through  a  cornfield  into  the 
camp  of  a  small  body  of  British  soldiers.  The  latter 
were  defeated  and  Davie's  force  galloped  away  without 
the  loss  of  a  man.  Every  body  of  troops  sent  out  by 
Cornwallis  to  collect  food  was  assailed  and  driven  back. 


150  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

About  midnight  on  the  25th  of  September,  1780, 
Davie  and  Graham  rode  into  Charlotte  and  posted  their 
men  behind  the  courthouse  and  behind  dwelling  houses 
and  garden  fences.  The  next  morning  the  men  at  the 
head  of  the  British  column  rode  into  the  town  from  the 
southward,  but  the  Carolina  riflemen  drove  them  back. 
A  larger  force  of  British  cavalry  then  dashed  forward, 
the  best  men  in  the  army  of  Cornwallis,  but  the  deadly 
rifles  again  forced  them  to  retreat.  Cornwallis  then 
brought  up  his  whole  army,  and  Davie  and  Graham 
slowly  withdrew  northward,  fighting  as  they  went. 
Cornwallis  pitched  his  camp  in  Charlotte,  but  the  men 
of  Mecklenburg  kept  up  so  fierce  a  fight  against  him 
that  Cornwallis  himself  called  their  country  "the  hor- 
nets' nest."  One  morning  thirteen  of  these  "hornets," 
led  by  Captain  James  Thompson,  walked  silently 
through  the  woods  to  Mclntyre's  house,  a  point  eight 
miles  from  Charlotte.  Among  the  riflemen  was  George 
Graham,  a  brother  of  Joseph,  A  body  of  more  than  four 
hundred  British  was  plundering  the  house.  The  men  of 
Mecklenburg  opened  fire  with  their  rifles.  Every  ball 
went  straight  to  its  mark.  The  fire  was  repeated  again 
and  again,  and  the  entire  British  force  fled  to  the  camp 
of  Cornwallis.  Soon  afterwards,  Cornwallis  wrote,  "It 
is  evident  *  *  *  that  the  counties  of  Mecklenburg 
and  Rowan  are  more  hostile  to  England  than  any  in 
America." 

While  Cornwallis  with  his  main  army  was  making  his 
way  toward  Charlotte,  a  second  British  column,  con- 
sisting of  1,200  men,  led  by  Major  Ferguson,  was 
moving  northward  through  the  region  near  the  head- 
waters of  the  Broad  and  Catawba  rivers.  The  men  of 
the  present  counties  of  Laurens,  Union  and  Spartan- 
burg, in  South  Carolina,  took  up  arms.  Their  chief 
leader  was  James  Williams,  an  elder  in  the  church  of 
Little  River,  in  Laurens.  Aided  by  Elijah  Clarke,  of 
Georgia,  and  Isaac  Shelby,  of  the  Watauga  River,  in  the 


The  Battle  of  King's  Mountain  151 

Tennessee  country,  Williams  won  a  brilliant  victory 
over  a  part  of  Ferguson's  force  at  Musgrove's  Mill,  on 
the  Enoree  River.  Ferguson  then  moved  northward, 
laying  the  country  waste.  He  established  his  force  near 
the  present  Rutherfordton,  in  western  North  Carolina, 
and  there  made  wild  threats  against  the  men  beyond  the 
mountains. 

A  messenger  swiftly  crossed  the  mountains  to  warn 
the  settlers  on  the  Watauga  and  Holston  rivers.  Four 
hundred  Virginians  from  the  congregations  of  Charles 
Cummings  on  the  Holston  seized  their  rifles,  mounted 
their  horses  and  rode  away  under  William  Campbell. 
Four  hundred  and  eighty  more  from  the  congregations 
of  Sanmel  Doak,  on  the  Watauga,  and  elsewhere  in 
upper  East  Tennessee,  followed  Isaac  Shelby  and  John 
Sevier  to  the  appointed  meeting  place  at  Sycamore 
Shoals,  on  the  Watauga  River.  At  that  place,  on  the 
morning  of  the  26th  of  September,  1780,  the  very  hour 
when  Cornwallis  was  fighting  his  way  into  Charlotte, 
the  horsemen  of  Campbell,  Shelby  and  Sevier  made 
ready  to  march.  They  assembled  together  and  then 
waited  in  silence  with  uncovered  heads  while  Samuel 
Doak,  the  minister,  offered  a  prayer  for  them.  Tradi- 
tion affirms  that  Doak  earnestly  besought  the  Lord  of 
hosts,  the  God  of  their  fathers,  to  bless  and  preserve 
these  defenders  of  their  homes,  and  to  give  them  victory 
in  the  approaching  battle.  Doak  then  bade  each  one 
of  the  soldiers  to  be  of  good  courage  and  to  play  the 
man  in  the  fight.  "Go  forth,  my  brave  men,"  said  the 
preacher,  "and  may  the  sword  of  the  Lord  and  of 
Gideon  go  with  you." 

Silently  and  swiftly  these  bold  men  rode  eastward 
through  the  mountain  passes  to  the  headwaters  of  the 
Catawba  River,  in  North  Carolina.  There  they  were 
reinforced  by  four  hundred  and  ten  men  from  western 
North  Carolina  under  McDowell,  Cleveland  and  Wins- 
ton.    Sixty  North  Carolinians  came  also  under  William 


152  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

Graham  and  Frederick  Hambright.  Then  four  hundred 
South  Carolinians,  a  part  of  Sumter's  brigade,  led  by 
Edward  Lacey,  James  Williams  and  William  Hill,  joined 
them.  William  Campbell  was  chosen  to  lead  the  arm.y, 
and  he  marched  the  men  swiftly  toward  the  Broad  River 
in  search  of  Ferguson.  The  American  leader  was  six 
feet  two  inches  in  height,  as  straight  as  an  arrow,  with  a 
fair  complexion  and  blue  eyes.  He  was  quiet  and  polished 
in  manner,  and  a  new  enthusiasm  filled  the  backwoods- 
men when  their  stalwart  commander  mounted  his  horse 
and  gave  the  order  to  move  forward.* 

Ferguson  heard  of  the  approach  of  the  mountain 
men,  and  started  eastward  to  join  Cornwallis  at  Char- 
lotte. Campbell  picked  out  about  one  thousand  of  his 
best  horsemen  and  pressed  forward  in  hot  pursuit.  He 
found  Ferguson  encamped  on  the  top  of  a  ridge  called 
King's  Mountain,  near  the  North  Carolina  line,  but 
within  the  limits  of  Bethel  Presbyterian  congregation  in 
York  County,  South  Carolina. 

At  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  October  7,  1780, 
Campbell's  army  made  ready  to  attack  Ferguson's 
camp.  The  horses  were  tied  in  the  forest  at  the  foot  of 
the  ridge.  The  officers  told  every  man  to  see  that  his 
rifle  was  well  primed  with  powder,  then  to  go  into  the 
battle  and  fight  until  he  died.  Campbell's  riflemen  then 
surrounded  the  mountain,  climbed  the  steep  sides  of  the 
ridge  upon  which  the  British  were  encamped  and  began 
the  attack.  Ferguson's  men  fought  with  great  courage, 
but  they  could  not  stand  against  the  deadly  aim  of  the 
mountain  riflemen.  Ferguson  was  slain,  and  his  entire 
force  was  either  killed  or  captured.  On  the  American 
side  James  Williams  was  among  the  dead. 

♦Colonel  Campbell  afterwards  married  Elizabeth  Henry,  sister 
of  Patrick  Henry,  the  great  Virginia  orator.  The  only  child  of 
this  marriage  was  Sarah  Buchanan  Campbell,  who  became  the 
wife  of  General  Francis  Preston.  The  oldest  son  of  the  latter 
was  William  Campbell  Preston,  of  South  Carolina,  the  famous 
statesman  and  educator. 


The  Battle  of  King's  Mountain  153 

It  was  a  glorious  victory.  When  the  news  came  to 
Cornwallis  he  had  already  started  northward  from 
Charlotte.  He  gave  orders  at  once,  however,  that  his 
army  must  turn  back  southward  again  toward  Charles 
Town.  Through  rain  and  mud  his  forces  slowly  retreat- 
ed, some  of  the  men  falling  at  every  step.  The  men  of 
Mecklenburg,  armed  with  their  deadly  rifles,  swarmed 
about  the  rear  of  his  army.  The  men  of  Lancaster, 
York,  Chester  and  Fairfield  counties,  South  Carolina, 
assailed  both  flanks.  They  captured  the  baggage  and 
supplies  of  the  British  army  and  cut  off  every  scouting 
party.  The  starving  and  defeated  forces  of  Cornwallis 
spent  two  weeks  in  moving  over  the  short  distance  to 
Winnsboro.  The  glad  news  brought  new  hope  to  every 
American  patriot.  The  tide  of  the  war  was  turned  at 
last  in  favor  of  the  American  cause. 

And  who  were  the  men  who  destroyed  Ferguson's 
force  and  caused  the  plans  of  Cornwallis  to  fail?  They 
were  mounted  riflemen  from  the  Presbyterian  congrega- 
tions of  the  Carolinas,  Virginia,  Tennessee  and  Georgia. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

PRESBYTERIAN   RIFLEMEN,    LED   BY  FRANCIS   MARION, 

ASSAIL  THE  BRITISH  IN   THE  EASTERN   PARTS 

OF    SOUTH    CAROLINA. 

The  heavy  blows  which  have  just  been  described  were 
dehvered  by  the  men  of  Sumter,  Davie  and  Campbell 
against  the  front  and  the  flanks  of  the  army  of  Corn- 
wallis  as  he  moved  northward  into  North  Carolina. 
During  the  same  period,  heavy  blows  were  directed 
against  the  rear  of  his  forces,  and  his  line  of  communi- 
cation with  Charles  Town  was  often  cut.  This  was  the 
work  of  a  body  of  horsemen  made  up  of  Scots,  Hugue- 
nots and  Welsh  from  the  present  counties  of  Williams- 
burg and  Marion,  in  South  Carolina.  Nearly  all  of 
these  were  from  the  Presbyterian  congregations  of  that 
region,  and  their  chief  leader  was  Francis  Marion,  of 
Huguenot  descent. 

The  leader  who  first  called  these  fighting  men  into 
the  field,  however,  was  Major  John  James,  son  of  Wil- 
liam James,  whose  wife  was  a  daughter  of  the  pioneer, 
John  Witherspoon.  John  James  was  a  mere  infant 
when  his  father  brought  him  up  the  Black  River  to  the 
King's  Tree  in  Williamsburg  Township.  He  spent  most 
of  his  early  years  on  horseback  chasing  cattle  over  the 
meadows  and  through  the  forests  of  his  father's  planta- 
tion, twelve  miles  above  Kingstree.  He  became  a  bold 
huntsman,  also,  and  as  a  mature  man  was  made  an  elder 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Indiantown.  When  the 
war  with  England  began  John  James  led  a  company  of 
his  neighbors  to  Charles  Town  to  help  to  defend  that 
city.  He  was  raising  a  larger  body  of  soldiers  at  the 
time  when  Charles  Town  fell  (1780). 

154 


Francis  Marion's  Riflemen  155 

Then  Major  James  rode  into  Georgetown  to  ask 
what  the  British  meant  to  do.  Captain  Ardesoif,  a 
British  officer,  told  him  that  the  South  Carolinians  must 
fight  for  the  King.  James  replied  that  his  people  would 
never  give  aid  to  the  British.  Ardesoif  became  angry 
at  this  reply,  and  threatened  James  with  his  sword. 
The  latter  seized  a  chair,  waved  it  in  the  face  of  Arde- 
soif and  held  him  back.  Then  James  rushed  to  his 
horse,  mounted  him  and  galloped  away.  Six  companies 
of  soldiers  were  formed  at  once  from  the  Presbyterian 
congregations  of  Williamsburg,  and  Major  John  James 
and  Major  Hugh  Giles  were  chosen  to  lead  them.  Other 
officers  bore  the  Huguenot  names  of  Horry  and  Mouzon 
and  the  Scotch  names  of  McCottry,  McCauley,  Baxter, 
Postell,  Cooper,  Conyers,  Ervin  and  Witherspoon.  Then 
Marion  took  the  chief  command  and  made  unceasing  at- 
tacks against  the  rear  of  Cornwallis'  army.  Cornwallis 
sent  a  force  of  British  troops  into  Williamsburg  to  lay 
waste  the  country.  These  men  burned  the  church  at  In- 
dian town,  burned  the  home  of  Major  James  and  other 
leaders,  and  flung  into  the  fire  every  copy  of  the  Bible 
and  of  the  Scotch  version  of  the  Psalms  that  they  could 
find.  The  British  regarded  the  war  in  this  region  as 
against  Presbyterians,  and  in  revenge  they  destroyed 
houses  of  worship  and  books  of  devotion.  The  members 
of  these  congregations  at  once  flocked  to  Marion's  stand- 
ard and  his  brigade  was  increased  to  three  regiments, 
commanded  by  Colonels  Peter  Horry,  Hugh  Horry  and 
John  Ervin,  who  was  succeeded  by  John  Baxter.  Five 
of  Marion's  captains  were  elders  of  the  Hopewell  Pres- 
b3i:erian  Church ;  these  were  John  and  Hugh  Ervin,  and 
John,  Gavin  and  Robert  Witherspoon.  Nearly  all  of 
the  remaining  officers  under  Marion  were  officers  of  the 
Presbyterian  churches  of  Williamsburg  Township.  The 
swift  riding  of  the  Presbyterian  horsemen  of  this  region, 
and  the  deadly  aim  of  their  rifles,  forced  the  British 
troops  to  leave  Williamsburg. 


156  Southern  Preshyterian  Leaders 

The  danger  from  this  quarter  had  much  to  do,  also, 
with  the  retreat  of  Cornwallis  after  the  battle  of  King's 
Mountain.  When  he  moved  back  from  Charlotte,  Corn- 
wallis sent  Tarleton  to  catch  Marion.  Tarleton  marched 
for  days  through  the  swamps,  but  could  not  find 
Marion's  rangers.  As  soon  as  Tarleton  turned  to  join 
the  main  British  army  Marion's  riflemen  began  again 
their  deadly  work.  They  rode  almost  to  Charles  Town, 
captured  the  supplies  intended  for  Cornwallis,  and  in 
a  dozen  battles  defeated  the  bodies  of  troops  that  were 
guarding  his  rear. 

When  Cornwallis  again  moved  northward,  a  large 
British  force  was  sent  toward  Williamsburg.  They 
came  to  a  bridge  thrown  across  the  Black  River  near 
the  town  of  Kingstree.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river  near  the  other  end  of  the  bridge  were  posted 
Major  James'  men.  Among  the  latter  were  the  riflemen 
led  by  William  McCottry,  a  member  of  the  Indiantown 
Church.  The  homes  of  John  Witherspoon,  of  John 
James,  of  William  McCottry  and  of  all  the  rest  of  the 
Scots  were  in  the  immediate  vicinity.  These  patriots 
were  standing  almost  in  the  sight  of  their  wives  and 
daughters.  The  British  cannon  opened  fire,  and  the  Brit- 
ish infantry  started  to  cross  the  bridge.  At  the  crack 
of  McCottry's  rifle  the  leading  British  officer  fell.  A 
hail  of  bullets  swept  across  the  river;  the  men  at  the 
cannon  were  cut  down  and  the  whole  British  force  was 
defeated  and  driven  back.  Colonel  Watson,  their  com- 
mander, said  that  he  "never  saw  such  shooting"  during 
the  whole  of  his  experience  as  a  soldier.  A  day  or  two 
later,  Watson  saw  more  of  the  same  kind  of  shooting. 
He  took  up  his  quarters  at  the  house  of  John  Wither- 
spoon, two  miles  from  the  bridge  where  James  defeated 
him.  James  followed  the  British  to  that  place.  Then 
Sergeant  McDonald  climbed  a  hickory  tree  at  the  end 
of  Witherspoon's  lane,  and  at  the  distance  of  200  yards 
sent  a  rifle  ball  through  the  knee  of  a  British  lieutenant 


Francis  Marion's  Riflemen  157 

who  was  standing  near  the  Witherspoon  house.  Colonel 
Watson  waited  no  longer,  but  fled  at  the  top  of  his  speed 
to  Georgetown,  on  the  coast.  The  news  of  this  repulse 
in  the  British  rear  came  to  the  ears  of  Cornwallis 
when  he  was  far  advanced  upon  his  second  entrance  into 
North  Carolina.  Let  us  now  trace  the  steps  in  that 
movement. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

THE    COWPENS    AND    GUILFORD    COURTHOUSE. 

In  December,  1780,  General  Nathanael  Greene  led  a 
force  made  up  of  Virginia,  Maryland,  Delaware  and 
Pennsylvania  soldiers  Into  the  Carollnas.  Daniel  Mor- 
gan, with  a  regiment  of  riflemen  from  Virginia  and 
Maryland,  joined  Greene,  and  was  sent  into  the  western 
part  of  South  Carolina. 

In  the  churches  and  In  the  camps  of  the  soldiers  the 
Presbyterian  ministers  of  this  region  kept  up  the  work 
of  urging  the  men  of  their  congregations  to  fight.  Wil- 
liam Martin,  a  Scotch-Irish  preacher,  was  put  into 
prison  by  the  British.  At  WInnsboro  this  gray-haired 
old  minister  was  led  before  Cornwallis.  "You  are 
charged,"  said  the  British  commander,  "with  preaching 
rebellion  from  the  pulpit, — you,  an  old  man  and  a  min- 
ister of  the  gospel  of  peace, — with  advocating  rebellion 
against  your  lawful  sovereign.  King  George  III !" 

Martin  fixed  his  eyes  on  Cornwallis  and  said :  "I  am 
happy  to  appear  before  you.  For  many  months  I  have 
been  held  In  chains  for  preaching  what  I  believe  to  be 
the  truth.  As  to  King  George,  I  owe  him  nothing  but 
good  will.  I  am  not  unacquainted  with  his  private  char- 
acter. *  *  *  As  a  king  he  was  bound  to  protect 
his  subjects  In  the  enjoyment  of  their  rights.  Protec- 
tion and  allegiance  go  together,  and  when  the  one  fails 
the  other  cannot  be  expected.  The  declaration  of  In- 
dependence Is  but  a  reiteration  of  what  our  [Scotch] 
Covenanting  fathers  have  always  maintained." 

Meanwhile,  after  the  battle  at  King's  Mountain,  the 
men  of  the  Carollnas  led  by  Sumter  and  Marion  were 
making  the  position  of  Cornwallis  unsafe. 

15S 


Cow  pens  and  Guilford  Courthouse  159 

Sumter  rode  within  a  short  distance  of  the  British 
camp  at  Winnsboro  and  defeated  a  large  British  de- 
tachment at  Fishdam  Ford.  Then  at  Blackstock,  on 
the  Tyger  River,  in  the  present  Union  County,  South 
Carohna,  Sumter  defeated  a  part  of  Tarleton's  legion 
of  horsemen.  Sumter  was  wounded  in  this  battle,  and 
then  Andrew  Pickens  rode  into  the  field  to  fight  Corn- 
wallis.  Pickens  was  a  Scot  who  came  as  a  child  with  his 
parents  from  Augusta  County,  Virginia,  to  the  Wax- 
haws.  He  built  a  home  on  the  west  side  of  the  Broad 
River,  in  the  present  Abbeville  County,  and  became  an 
elder  in  the  Long  Cane  Church.  In  1779,  he  called  to- 
gether five  hundred  men  from  the  congregations  near  his 
home,  crossed  the  Savannah  River  and  defeated  a  much 
larger  British  force  at  Kettle  Creek,  in  Georgia.  Now 
in  1781,  he  led  his  riflemen  to  join  Daniel  Morgan  on 
the  Pacolet  River,  in  South  Carolina.  Cornwallis  was 
forced  to  move,  and  he  decided  to  march  again  into 
North  Carolina  and  thence  to  Virginia.  He,  therefore, 
sent  Tarleton  with  1,100  picked  men  to  attack  Morgan 
and  Pickens.  Tarleton  rode  swiftly  into  western  South 
Carolina  and  came  up  with  the  American  forces  at  a 
grazing  ground  on  Broad  River  called  the  Cowpens. 

Morgan  placed  his  small  body  of  Maryland  men  at 
the  top  of  a  long  slope.  At  the  left  end  of  the  line  stooJ 
a  company  of  riflemen  from  the  Presbyterian  congrega- 
tions of  Rockbridge  County,  Virginia,  led  by  Gilmore, 
Caruthers  and  McCorkle.  At  the  right  end  of  the  line 
was  a  company  from  Augusta,  Virginia,  led  by  Tate 
and  Buchanan.  In  front  of  these,  on  the  slope  of  the  hill, 
three  hundred  riflemen  of  upper  South  Carolina  took 
their  places  under  the  direction  of  Pickens.  Among  the 
trees  further  down  the  slope  were  Cunningham's  Geor- 
gians and  McDowell's  North  Carolinians.  William 
Washington's  Virginia  cavalry  and  James  McCall's 
South  Carolina  cavalry  guarded  the  flanks.  It  was  al- 
most entirely  a  Presbyterian  array,    Morgan  and  Pick- 


160  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

ens,  the  Presbyterian  elders,  went  among  the  men  to  see 
that  every  gun  was  ready ;  then  with  sleepless  eyes  they 
prayed  to  God  throughout  the  night  and  asked  Him  to 
give  them  the  victory.  When  the  day  dawned,  Pickens 
was  again  among  his  men  at  the  front,  telling  every  third 
man  to  fire  while  two  held  their  loaded  guns  in  reserve. 

Just  at  sunrise  on  the  morning  of  January  17,  1781, 
Tarleton's  cannon  were  moved  forward  to  begin  the 
fight.  Through  the  thick  cannon  smoke  the  British  foot 
soldiers  and  horsemen  advanced  up  the  slope,  led  by 
Tarleton  himself.  The  men  of  McDowell  and  Cunning- 
ham delivered  their  fire  and  fell  back.  When  the  enemy 
came  within  fifty  yards  of  the  line  of  Pickens,  the  latter 
gave  the  word,  and  nearly  every  British  officer  was  shot 
down.  Again  the  rifles  spoke  and  the  front  line  of  Brit- 
ish soldiers  fell.  Another  volley  and  Tarleton's  men 
staggered  and  paused.  The  force  of  Tarleton's  attack 
was  broken.  The  victory  was  practically  won  where 
Pickens  fought.  But  Tarleton  would  not  give  up  the 
fight.  He  urged  his  men  to  advance  with  fixed  bayonets. 
The  force  under  Pickens  fell  slowly  back  and  the  British 
were  met  by  Morgan's  line  on  the  top  of  the  hill.  Wash- 
ington and  McCall  came  sweeping  around  with  their 
horsemen  to  the  right  and  rear  of  the  British.  Pickens 
turned  his  men  against  Tarleton's  left.  The  British 
were  surrounded  and  nearly  all  of  them  were  captured. 
One-third  of  the  army  of  Cornwallis  was  thus  snatched 
from  him  when  he  was  in  the  sorest  need  of  soldiers. 

Greene  and  Morgan  were  not  yet  strong  enough  to 
meet  Cornwallis  in  battle.  After  the  victory  at  the 
Cowpens,  Morgan  joined  Greene,  and  they  both  moved 
northward.  Cornwallis  followed  with  his  army.  He 
burned  the  Waxhaws  Church.  Bibles  and  Psalm-books 
were  destroyed  everywhere  by  his  soldiers.  Thomas  H. 
McCaule,  minister  of  Centre  Church  in  Mecklenburg 
County,  led  all  the  men  of  his  flock  into  General  David- 
son's camp.     James  Hall  called  the  men  of  his  congre- 


Cowpens  and  Guilford  Courthouse  161 

gation  together  under  the  oaks  that  still  stand  by  the 
side  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Statesville.  Then, 
as  their  captain,  Hall  mounted  his  horse  and  led  the 
men  of  Iredell  to  help  Davidson.  Samuel  E.  McCorkle, 
the  minister  at  Thyatira,  near  Salisbury,  urged  his  con- 
gregation to  fight.  It  was  Mrs.  Steele,  mother  of  Mc- 
Corkle's  wife,  who  gave  to  General  Greene  a  bag  of  gold 
and  silver  coin,  all  the  money  she  had. 

The  men  of  North  Carolina,  led  by  Davidson  and 
Graham,  and  the  men  of  Mecklenburg  stood  across  the 
pathway  of  the  British  and  attempted  to  hold  Corn- 
wallis  in  check  at  the  Catawba  River,  but  Davidson 
was  killed  in  the  fight  and  the  British  crossed  the  stream. 
Andrew  Pickens  then  took  command  of  the  riflemen  of 
both  Carolinas  and  fought  the  British  at  every  step  as 
they  marched  through  North  Carolina.  Morgan  es- 
caped with  the  prisoners  taken  at  the  Cowpens.  Greene 
crossed  the  Dan  into  Virginia  and  Cornwallis  estab- 
lished his  camp  among  the  people  of  the  two  congrega- 
tions, Alamance  and  Buffalo,  of  which  David  Caldwell 
was  pastor.  Some  of  the  British  soldiers  went  to  Hugh 
McAden's  church  at  the  Red  House,  and  encamped  in 
the  house  of  worship,  and  burned  all  of  McAden's  books. 
The  main  body  of  the  British  army  encamped  for  a  time 
on  Caldwell's  plantation ;  some  of  the  officers  drove  out 
the  preacher's  family  and  made  their  home  in  his  house. 
Moreover,  they  burned  his  Bible  and  Psalm-books,  and 
with  them  all  the  rest  of  his  library  and  his  papers.  One 
or  two  of  Caldwell's  sermons  escaped  the  flames.  Let  us 
hear  a  few  words  from  one  of  these  discourses,  based  on 
the  text,  "The  slothful  shall  be  under  tribute."  (Prov. 
12:24): 

"  *  •  *  Our  forefathers,  or  many  of  them,  sac- 
rificed at  Londonderry  and  Enniskillen  [in  North  Ire- 
land] their  lives,  that  they  might  hand  down  to  us  the 
fair  inheritance  of  liberty  and  the  Protestant  religion ; 
and  in  the  whole  course  of  their  conduct  in  the  support 


162  Southern  Freshyterian  Leaders 

and  defense  of  their  rights,  they  have  set  us  an  example 
which  ought  not  to  be  disregarded."  The  preacher  told 
his  people  about  the  attempts  of  the  British  King  and 
Parliament  to  pass  unjust  laws  and  to  lay  heavy  bur- 
dens on  the  American  colonists,  and  then  said:  "If  we 
stand  up  manfully  and  unitedly  in  defense  of  our  rights, 
appalled  by  no  dangers  and  shrinking  from  no  toils  or 
privations,  we  shall  do  valiantly." 

"Our  foes  are  powerful  and  determined  on  conquest; 
but  our  cause  is  good,  and  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord, 
who  is  mightier  than  all,  we  shall  prevail.  If  we  fail  to 
do  our  duty  in  this  momentous  crisis,  bondage  and  op- 
pression, with  all  their  unnumbered  and  interminable 
woes,  will  be  entailed  upon  us ;  but  if  we  act  our  part 
well  as  men  and  as  Christians  in  defense  of  truth  and 
righteousness,  we  may  with  the  help  of  the  Lord  obtain 
a  complete  and  final  deliverance  from  the  power  that  has 
oppressed  us." 

There  is  little  doubt  that  Cornwallis  had  heard  of  the 
patriotic  preaching  of  Caldwell,  for  the  story  has  come 
down  to  us  that  the  British  commander  offered  a  reward 
of  one  thousand  dollars  for  the  capture  of  Caldwell. 
The  minister,  however,  joined  the  American  army  with 
the  men  of  his  two  congregations. 

Many  other  churches,  near  and  far,  sent  riflemen  to 
help  Greene  in  the  approaching  fight  with  Cornwallis. 
William  Campbell  led  some  of  the  King's  Mountain  men 
to  Greene's  aid.  Three  companies  were  called  out  from 
the  congregations  of  the  Valley  of  Virginia  and  placed 
under  the  command  of  Samuel  McDowell.  James  Wad- 
dell,  the  blind  preacher,  delivered  a  sermon  to  these  sol- 
diers as  they  stood  ready  to  march.  He  encouraged  the 
patriots  to  keep  back  the  invaders.  Then,  with  the  min- 
ister's prayers  and  blessings  ringing  in  their  ears,  they 
marched  to  meet  Cornwallis.  One  company  of  horsemen 
from  Prince  Edward  and  Amelia  was  already  serving 
with  Greene  in  the  legion  of  "Light  Horse  Harry"  Lee. 


Cowpens  and  Guilford  Courthouse  163 

Another  company  was  now  sent  from  Prince  Edward  to 
fill  up  the  ranks  of  William  Washington's  cavalry. 
William  Morton,  an  elder,  a  son  of  Little  Joe  Morton, 
raised  a  company  of  riflemen  from  the  churdies  of  Char- 
lotte and  set  forth  to  join  Greene.  John  Blair  Smith, 
minister  and  President  of  Hampden  Sidney,  started  with 
Morton's  company,  but  soon  returned  home  to  preach 
in  behalf  of  liberty. 

On  the  morning  of  March  15,  1781,  Greene  drew  up 
his  army  on  a  hill  near  Guilford  Court  House  to  await 
the  attack  of  Cornwallis.  In  Greene's  front  line,  posted 
behind  a  fence,  were  the  North  Carolina  riflemen.  Some 
distance  in  the  rear  of  them  were  the  Virginia  riflemen, 
forming  the  second  line.  The  third  line  stood  in  the 
rear,  on  the  top  of  the  hill.  It  was  made  up  of  two  bri- 
gades of  regular  troops,  one  from  Maryland  and  an- 
other from  Virginia.  Washington's  cavalry  guarded 
the  right  flank  of  the  American  army.  Lee's  legion  and 
William  Campbell's  mountain  men  were  on  the  left  flank. 

As  Cornwallis'  army  advanced  across  the  open  field  in 
front.  Captain  John  Forbes,  from  one  of  Caldwell's  con- 
gregations, fired  the  first  shot.  The  North  Carolinians 
of  Greene's  first  line  took  the  signal  from  Forbes  and 
sent  in  a  deadly  fire.  One-half  of  the  Highland  regi- 
ment in  the  British  front  fell  from  that  fire.  The  Caro- 
linians fired  another  volley  and  retreated.  Then 
Greene's  second  line,  the  Virginia  marksmen,  held  Corn- 
wallis in  check  for  a  time.  Twice  they  advanced  and 
broke  the  British  line.  The  British  came  on,  however, 
led  by  Colonel  Webster.  They  were  met  by  Greene's  last 
line  on  the  hilltop.     The  fighting  was  desperate. 

When  William  Morton,  of  Charlotte,  Virginia,  fired 
his  heavy  gun,  filled  with  eight  buckshot.  Colonel  Web- 
ster fell.  Colonel  Washington  made  a  daring  charge 
against  the  flank  of  Webster's  force.  In  this  charge 
Peter  Francisco,  of  Prince  Edward  County,  Virginia,  cut 
down  eleven  British  soldiers  with  his  own  hand.     Corn- 


164  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

wallis  had  the  larger  force,  however,  and  Greene's  men 
could  not  hold  the  field.  They  withdrew  a  few  miles  and 
stood  ready  to  fight  again. 

Cornwallis  was  unable  to  move  forward.  The  strength 
of  his  army  had  been  broken  by  the  desperate  fighting 
through  which  he  had  passed.  He  turned  about  at  once 
and  led  his  men  to  the  seacoast  at  Wilmington.  There 
his  army  was  fed  from  the  stores  on  the  British  ships. 
Cornwallis  then  moved  northward  into  Virginia,  but  he 
was  no  longer  strong  enough  to  meet  an  army  in  the 
field.  He  marched  to  Yorktown,  on  the  Chesapeake 
Bay,  in  Virginia,  to  secure  help  once  more  from  his  war- 
ships. At  that  place  General  Washington,  with  the  aid 
of  the  French  fleet,  surrounded  the  British  and  captured 
them. 

Meanwhile,  Andrew  Pickens  and  his  riflemen  took 
Augusta,  Georgia,  from  the  enemy.  Then  the  men  of 
Sumter,  Marion  and  Pickens  swarmed  around  the  Brit- 
ish that  still  remained  in  South  Carolina.  They  fought 
Rawdon's  British  force  at  Eutaw  Springs,  and  at  last 
drove  all  of  the  enemy  out  of  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia. 
The  men  who  did  most  of  this  work  of  breaking  the 
strength  of  the  army  under  Cornwallis,  thus  winning 
American  independence,  were  the  men  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian congregations  of  the  Southern  States. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

THE  WINNING  OF  THE  FIGHT  FOE  RELIGIOUS  FEEEDOM. 

"All,  men  are  equally  entitled  to  the  free  exercise  of  re- 
ligion according  to  the  dictates  of  conscience."  Thus 
ran,  as  we  have  seen,  certain  words  in  the  Virginia  Bill 
of  Rights  adopted  June  29,  1776,  through  the  influence 
of  James  Madison.  In  theory,  therefore,  the  cause  of 
freedom  in  religion  was  made  a  part  of  the  law  of  the 
state.  In  fact,  however,  the  Episcopal  Church  was  still 
the  established  Church  of  Virginia.  The  Episcopal  cler- 
gymen were  paid  by  means  of  a  tax  laid  on  all  of  the 
people.  Since  the  great  majority  of  the  people  of  Vir- 
ginia were  Presbyterians  and  Baptists,  they  did  not  wish 
to  pay  for  the  support  of  worship  according  to  the 
Episcopal  method. 

When  the  first  legislature  of  the  new  and  independent 
State  of  Virginia  met,  October  7,  1776,  the  Hanover 
Presbytery  sent  to  that  body  another  memorial,  written 
probably  by  Caleb  Wallace,  asking  that  the  state  should 
have  no  established  church  at  all.  The  dissenters,  they 
said,  "annually  pay  large  taxes  to  support  an  establish- 
ment from  which  their  consciences  and  principles  oblige 
them  to  dissent."  "We  ask  no  ecclesiastical  establish- 
ments for  ourselves,  neither  can  we  approve  of  them 
when  granted  to  others,"  they    urged    in    conclusion. 

Other  petitions  also  were  presented  to  the  legislature, 
from  "Sundry  Inhabitants  of  Prince  Edward,"  from 
Lutherans,  from  Methodists,  from  "The  County  Com- 
mittee for  Augusta  County,"  and  from  various  "Dis- 
senters," some  of  whom  were  Baptists.  The  strongest 
of  these  memorials  was  from  Presbyterian  sources.  This 
petition  from  Hanover  Presbytery  received  full  consid- 

165 


166  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

eration  on  the  part  of  the  lawmakers,  and  the  proceed- 
ings with  reference  to  it  filled  an  entire  page  in  their 
Journal. 

A  bitter  debate  took  place  over  the  issue,  and  then, 
in  December,  1776,  the  legislature  passed  a  law  setting 
dissenters  free  from  the  tax  for  the  support  of  the 
Episcopal  Church.  During  this  entire  period  of  leg- 
islative debate,  from  October  5  until  December  5,  1776, 
Caleb  Wallace  was  present  in  Williamsburg,  Virginia's 
capital,  as  a  deputy  sent  by  the  Hanover  Presbytery 
to  look  after  the  interests  of  Presbyterians.  A  few 
months  later,  that  is,  in  April,  1777,  Wallace  wrote  to 
James  Caldwell,  of  New  Jersey,  as  follows:  "An  Amer- 
ican ought  to  seek  an  emancipation  from  the  British 
King,  ministry  and  parliament  at  the  risk  of  all  his 
earthly  possessions  of  whatever  name.  Nor  is  it  the 
fear  of  danger  that  has  prevented  my  preaching  this 
doctrine  in  the  army  at  headquarters.^'  Wallace  consid- 
ered it  his  duty  to  remain  among  his  own  people  and 
there  to  preach  and  labor  in  behalf  of  both  religious 
and  civil  liberty. 

Many  members  of  the  state  legislature  now  declared 
that  every  denomination  of  Christians  ought  to  be  under 
the  management  and  control  of  the  state  government. 
In  April,  1777,  therefore,  the  Hanover  Presbytery 
adopted  another  memorial  written  by  Samuel  Stanhope 
Smith  and  David  Rice.  "The  Kingdom  of  Christ  and 
the  concerns  of  religion  are  beyond  the  limits  of  civil 
control,"  they  declared  in  the  paper  addressed  to  the 
legislature.  The  Baptists  sent  in  a  paper,  also,  urging 
the  same  view. 

In  May,  1779,  Thomas  Jefferson  wrote  out  a  bill 
"establishing  religious  freedom,"  which  was  presented 
to  the  legislature  for  adoption.  For  six  years  the  battle 
raged  around  this  measure.  The  Presbyterians  and 
Baptists  supported  Jefferson's  Bill,  for  this  measure 
contained  all  of  the  principles  thus  far  set  forth  in  the 


The  Fight  for  Religious  Freedom  167 

memorials  of  the  Hanover  Presbytery.  In  May,  1784, 
this  Presbytery  met  at  Bethel  Church,  Augusta  County, 
and  adopted  a  memorial  written  by  John  Blair  Smith 
and  James  Waddell.  In  the  name  of  "The  united  clergy 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Virginia"  they  addressed 
the  legislature,  and  asked  for  "an  entire  and  everlasting 
freedom  from  every  species  of  ecclesiastical  domina- 
tion." "The  Episcopal  Church,"  continued  the  memo- 
rial, "is  actually  incorporated  and  known  in  law  as  a 
body,  so  that  it  can  receive  and  possess  property  for 
ecclesiastical  purposes,  without  trouble  or  risk  in  secur- 
ing it,  while  other  Christian  communities  are  obliged  to 
trust  to  the  precarious  fidelity  of  trustees  chosen  for  the 
purpose."  The  Presbytery  claimed  that  their  church 
should  have  privileges  under  the  state  government 
equal  to  the  privileges  enjoyed  by  any  other  body  of 
Christians.  They  had  fought  for  the  freedom  of  the 
state,  they  said;  "we  shun  not  a  comparison  with  any 
of  our  brethren,"  continued  the  memorial,  "for  our  ef- 
forts in  the  cause  of  our  country  and  assisting  to  es- 
tablish her  liberties,  and,  therefore,  esteem  it  unreason- 
able that  any  of  them  should  reap  superior  advantages 
for,  at  most,  but  equal  merit."  They  had  fought  for 
political  and  religious  liberty,  and  they  desired  a  full 
and  equal  share  of  both.  Such  was  the  claim  advanced 
by  the  Presbyterians  and  supported  by  the  Baptists. 
Patrick  Henry  was  an  advocate  of  the  plan  to  levy  a 
general  tax  upon  the  people  for  the  support  of  all  re- 
ligious denominations.  It  was  now  reported  through- 
out the  state  that  the  legislature  would  certainly 
enact  a  law  to  carry  out  this  policy.  The  Hanover 
Presbytery,  therefore,  at  its  meeting  held  at  Timber 
Ridge,  October  27,  1784,  approved  a  memorial  pro- 
posed by  William  Graham  and  John  Blair  Smith. 

This  memorial  was  sent  by  the  Presbytery  to  the  leg- 
islature. At  some  length  they  urged  again  the  prin- 
ciple that  religion  "as  a  spiritual  system  and  its  min- 


168  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

isters  in  a  professional  capacity,  ought  not  to  be  under 
the  direction  of  the  State."  Understanding,  however, 
that  in  spite  of  their  protests  the  lawmakers  had  made 
up  their  minds  to  pass  a  law  imposing  some  kind  of  as- 
sessment for  religious  purposes,  the  Presbytery's  me- 
morial declared  that  the  only  endurable  kind  of  assess- 
ment must  be  based  upon  "the  most  liberal  plan,"  and 
that  it  must  not  "violate"  the  happy  privilege  we  now 
enjoy  of  thinking  for  ourselves  in  all  cases  where  con- 
science is  concerned."* 

Under  Patrick  Henry's  leadership  a  law  was  passed 
to  the  effect  that  every  denomination  of  Christians  that 
asked  for  it  might  be  incorporated.  The  Episcopal 
Church,  therefore,  asked  for  incorporation,  and  secured 
it  in  a  manner  even  more  definite  and  binding  than  ever 
before.  This  was  not  the  "liberal  plan"  which  some  of 
the  Presbyterians  had  been  willing  to  endorse.  To  meet 
the  issue,  therefore,  the  entire  body  of  Presbyterians  in 
Virginia  took  action  at  once.  Hanover  Presbytery,  in 
session  at  Bethel  Church,  Augusta  County,  May  19, 
1785,  declared  that  they  were  "unanimously  against" 
any  kind  of  assessment  by  the  legislature  for  the  sup- 
port of  religion.  A  general  convention  of  Presbyte- 
rians was  called  to  meet  a  few  months  later  in  this  same 
church.  Accordingly,  on  August  10,  1785,  the  Presby- 
terians assembled  again  at  Bethel.  In  behalf  of  the 
convention,  William  Graham  drew  up  a  memorial  and  it 
was  adopted  as  setting  forth  the  views  of  "the  ministers 
and  lay  representatives  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Virginia,  assembled  in  convention."  They  called  them- 
selves "citizens  of  the  State"  who  had  "willingly  con- 
formed to  the  system  of  civil  policy  adopted  for  our 

♦This  memorial  has  been  widely  misinterpreted  to  the  effect 
that  the  Presbytery  was  inconsistent ;  because,  it  is  charged,  this 
paper  advocated  the  assessment  plan,  looking  to  a  union  of 
church  and  state.  Such  an  interpretation  does  injustice  to  the 
pati-iots  who  wrote  the  paper.  Mark  the  action  of  the  Presby- 
tery at  its  next  meeting,  at  Bethel  Church,  May  19,  17S5. 


The  Fight  for  Religious  Freedom  169 

government  and  defended  it  with  the  foremost  at  the  risk 
of  everything  dear  to  us."  The  hope  of  securing  com- 
plete liberty,  they  said,  "nerved  our  arm  in  the  day  of 
battle."  Then,  in  the  form  and  style  of  Jefferson's 
great  Declaration  of  Independence,  they  uttered  their 
vigorous  protest,  with  about  twenty  special  reasons  as- 
signed, against  the  recent  course  of  the  legislature.  "It 
would  be  an  unwarrantable  stretch  of  prerogative  in 
the  legislature  to  make  laws  concerning  religion,  they 
said;  "and  it  would  be  a  fatal  symptom  of  abject  sla- 
very in  us  were  we  to  submit  to  the  usurpation." 

In  October,  1785,  this  paper  was  presented  to  the 
legislature.  At  the  same  time,  John  Blair  Smith,  Presi- 
dent of  Hampden  Sidney  College,  was  given  permission 
to  speak  to  the  lawmakers.  On  three  successive  days  he 
pleaded  with  them  in  behalf  of  complete  freedom  m  mat- 
ters of  religion.  James  Madison  spoke  on  the  same  side 
with  Smith.  A  number  of  memorials  and  protests  came 
in  from  various  parts  of  the  state.  Madison  himself 
brought  in  his  famous  "Memorial  and  Remonstrance" 
with  a  large  number  of  names  of  citizens  attached. 

The  victory  was  won.  In  December,  1785,  the  legis- 
lature, by  a  vote  of  sixty-seven  to  twenty,  adopted  the 
bill  written  six  years  before  by  Jefferson,  to  the  effect 
that  "all  men  shall  be  free  to  profess  and  by  argument 
to  maintain  their  opinion  in  matters  of  religion."  This 
was  the  first  complete  separation  of  church  affairs  from 
the  control  of  the  state  government.  The  other  states 
afterwards  followed  the  example  of  Virginia.  Through 
the  urgent  insistence  of  Patrick  Henry,  James  Madison 
afterwards  accepted  the  view  that  this  principle  should 
be  incorporated  in  the  Federal  Constitution.  Madison 
used  his  influence,  therefore,  to  secure  the  adoption  of 
the  first  amendment  to  that  great  document,  establish- 
ing religious  freedom  in  the  entire  republic. 

The  great  cause  was  won  chiefly  by  the  Presb3rterians, 
supported  by  the  Baptists  and  by  some  Episcopalians. 


170  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

In  1802  the  lands  in  Virginia  known  as  glebe  lands, 
held  by  the  Episcopal  Church,  which  had  been  paid  for 
by  a  tax  upon  all  of  the  people,  were  made  the  property 
of  the  state.  Thus  the  men  who  did  more  than  any 
others  to  establish  freedom  in  civil  government,  led  the 
way  in  securing  that  liberty  which  we  now  enjoy  in  all 
of  the  affairs  of  religion. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

REVIVALS  OF  KELIGION  THAT  FOLLOWED  THE  WAR  OF  THE 

REVOLUTION. 

When  the  fighting  came  to  an  end,  the  people  of  our 
Southern  countr}'^  found  themselves  in  a  weakened  condi- 
tion. Plantations  had  been  laid  waste  and  many  churches 
and  homes  had  been  burned.  The  passing  of  armies  back 
and  forth  and  the  establishing  of  camps  of  soldiers  had 
broken  up,  to  some  extent,  the  regular  work  of  the  min- 
isters in  the  churches.  Harmful  manners  and  customs 
had  crept  into  many  communities.  Against  these  the 
preachers  set  their  faces  like  flint.  The  faithfulness  of 
these  men  was  the  agency  used  of  God  to  stir  up  His 
people  in  many  parts  of  the  land. 

During  the  campaign  that  ended  in  North  Carolina 
with  the  battle  at  Guilford  Court  House,  General 
Greene  wished  to  appoint  James  Hall  to  the  military 
office  of  brigadier  general.  Hall  declined  to  take  the 
position,  and  fought  through  the  war  as  captain  of  a 
company  of  horsemen  and  chaplain  of  the  regiment. 
When  the  fighting  ceased,  he  went  back  to  his  churches 
in  Iredell  County  and  gave  himself  entirely  to  the  work 
of  preaching  the  gospel. 

He  set  himself  with  all  his  strength  against  the  tide 
of  evil.  His  preaching  was  simple,  earnest  and  tender 
even  anto  tears.  The  strong,  sympathetic  nature  of  the 
pastor  won  the  hearts  of  the  wayward.  A  great  revival 
of  religion  took  place  in  his  churches  and  large  numbers 
were  brought  into  the  fold.  It  was  the  first  marked  re- 
vival in  any  of  the  Southern  churches  after  the  Revolu- 
tion. Hall  made  journeys  into  the  eastern  and  western 
parts  of  North  Carolina  and  into  Kentucky,  preaching 

171 


172  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

as  he  passed  along.  In  the  year  1800  he  went  into  the 
lower  Mississippi  Valley  to  preach  to  the  Natchez  In- 
dians. 

This  man  of  deep  piety  had  his  periods  of  spiritual 
darkness.  At  one  time  he  ceased  to  preach  for  a  year 
and  a  half  because,  as  he  said,  "God  had  hidden  his  face 
from  him."  One  Sunday  morning  while  in  this  state  of 
depression  Hall  appeared  at  Bethany  Church.  The 
elders  urged  him  to  preach,  but  he  refused.  Then  one 
of  the  elders  stood  up  and  prayed  as  follows :  "O  Lord, 
cast  the  deaf  and  dumb  devil  out  of  our  pastor;  this 
deaf  devil  that  will  not  allow  him  to  hear  the  promises 
of  the  gospel,  and  this  dumb  devil  that  will  not  suffer 
him  to  preach  as  he  has  heretofore  done."  At  the  close 
of  the  prayer  the  pastor  entered  the  pulpit  and  spoke 
his  message  with  all  his  former  tenderness  and  power. 

As  early  as  1778,  James  Hall  founded  a  school  on 
Snow  Creek,  in  the  Bethany  Congregation.  This  school, 
called  Clio's  Nursery,  was  kept  up  after  the  Revolution. 
Alore  than  twenty  ministers  of  the  gospel,  as  well  as  a 
number  of  judges  and  governors,  were  sent  forth  within 
a  short  period  of  time  by  Hall  and  his  assistants.  Among 
these  was  Moses  Waddel,  the  great  Christian  teacher 
of  Georgia  and  South  Carolina. 

On  the  27th  of  July,  1785,  the  South  Carolina  presby- 
tery held  its  sessions  in  the  open  air  at  a  point  between 
Upper  Long  Cane  and  Saluda,  the  present  Greenville 
Church.  There  Robert  Hall,  from  North  Carolina,  was 
solemnly  ordained  as  pastor  of  the  above  named  churches. 
General  Andrew  Pickens  was  then  one  of  the  elders  of 
Upper  Long  Cane  and  Hugh  Wardlaw  was  an  elder  of 
Saluda  (Greenville).  Robert  Hall  was  a  brother  of 
James  Hall,  and  received  his  training  in  Clio's  Nursery, 
in  Iredell  County,  North  Carolina.  Robert  had  to  some 
extent  the  strong  and  earnest  nature  of  his  brother 
James,  and  his  preaching  stirred  the  people  of  the  up- 
per country  of  South  Carolina. 


Revivals  After  the  Revolution  173 

The  work  of  ordination  was  done  by  the  new  presby- 
tery of  South  Carolina,  which  had  been  cut  apart  from 
Orange  Presbytery  and  organized  just  three  months  be- 
fore, in  April,  1785.  The  old  presbytery  of  South  Car- 
olina had  been  dissolved. 

Two  days  after  this  meeting,  that  is,  on  July  29,  the 
same  presbytery  met  in  the  open  air  at  Davis's  Bridge 
at  a  point  between  the  congregations  of  Lower  Long 
Cane  and  Rocky  River,  in  Abbeville.  One  of  the  elders 
of  Lower  Long  Cane  at  that  time  was  Patrick  Calhoun, 
father  of  John  C.  Calhoun.  On  the  green  grass,  beneath 
the  shadow  of  the  great  oaks,  young  Robert  Mecklin 
stood  up  in  the  presence  of  the  presbytery  to  answer 
questions  upon  his  course  of  study.  Then  he  knelt 
and  the  hands  of  the  brethren  were  laid  upon  him  to  or- 
dain him  as  pastor  of  the  two  churches.  During  a  brief 
pastorate  the  voice  of  Mecklin  was  heard  by  great 
crowds.  With  a  small  Bible  opened  in  his  hand,  Mecklin 
stood  before  his  people  and  made  the  Word  of  God  plain 
to  them.  Sometimes  the  whole  congregation  was  melted 
to  tears,  it  was  said,  by  the  appeals  of  this  man  of  God. 
Then  after  three  years  of  labor  among  the  two  congre- 
gations, Mecklin  passed  away  from  the  earth. 

Soon  afterwards.  Doctor  Thomas  Reese  came  to  the 
upper  country.  He  had  been  pastor  of  the  Salem 
Church,  Black  River,  during  the  Revolution.  He  took 
charge  of  Carmel  and  Hopewell  near  the  town  of  Pen- 
dleton. General  Pickens  moved  into  this  region  and  was 
one  of  the  elders  of  Hopewell.  In  1802  a  stone  house 
of  worship  was  erected  at  Hopewell  which  is  still  known 
as  "The  Old  Stone  Church."  It  was  the  center  of  a 
pious   community. 

John  Simpson,  the  fighting  preacher  of  Fishing  Creek, 
came  to  the  Pendleton  district  after  the  war,  as  pastor 
of  Good  Hope  and  Roberts  churches.  He  was  as 
active  and  zealous  in  ministerial  labors  as  he  had  been  in 
the  battles  against  invaders.     His  temper  was  mild  and 


174  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

his  life  was  blameless.  The  preaching  and  the  prayers 
of  Simpson  won  rich  blessings  for  his  people.  Num- 
bers were  added  to  his  churches,  and  later,  in  1802,  a 
wonderful  revival  of  religion  took  place  among  his 
flocks. 

In  1785,  the  year  in  which  the  Presbytery  of  South 
Carolina  was  organized,  Thomas  H.  McCaule  came  from 
the  pastorate  of  Centre  Congregation,  North  Carolina, 
to  be  president  of  Mount  Zion  College  at  Winnsboro, 
South  Carolina.  From  sixty  to  eighty  young  men  as- 
sembled there  to  receive  instruction  from  the  minister. 
At  daybreak  each  morning  the  winding  of  a  horn  called 
upon  the  students  to  leave  their  beds.  Another  blast  of 
the  horn  at  sunrise  called  them  to  prayers  and  to  study. 
The  work  continued  all  day  with  brief  intermissions  and 
then,  in  the  late  afternoon,  prayers  were  offered  again 
and  the  students  sent  to  their  rooms. 

Many  ministers  were  trained  in  this  log  college  at 
Winnsboro.  Among  the  first  were  two  who  returned  to 
spend  long  pastorates  in  their  native  land  of  Mecklen- 
burg County.  One  of  these  was  Humphrey  Hunter  who 
led  the  flock  of  Steele  Creek  Church  in  the  path  of  peace 
for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century.  The  other  was 
James  Wallis  who  set  forth  a  pure  religion  before  the 
people  of  New  Providence  Church.  He  established  a 
school  within  his  congregation  and  thus  continued  the 
work  of  multiplying  the  number  of  ministers.  Another 
preacher  who  sat  under  McCaule's  guidance  at  Winns- 
boro was  James  White  Stephenson,  who  had  taken  his 
first  lessons  in  Latin  and  Greek  at  the  school  near  the 
church  in  the  Waxhaws.  He  fought  bravely  as  one  of 
Sumter's  soldiers.  Then  after  the  course  of  preparation 
at  Winnsboro  he  became  shepherd  of  the  flock  at  Bethel 
and  Indiantown  in  Williamsburg  County.  His  wife 
was  a  daughter  of  Major  John  James.  Stephenson 
prayed  without  ceasing  and  taught  his  people  to  pray. 
Through  faithfulness  in  preaching,  he  aroused  the  peo- 


Revivals  After  the  Revolution  175 

pie  of  his  congregations  so  thcit  a  great  revival  swept 
over  that  part  of  the  country.  In  1802,  a  large  number 
of  families  from  these  two  congregations,  accompanied 
by  their  pastor,  left  Williamsburg  and  made  their  homes 
in  Maury  County,  Tennessee.  There  they  built  Zion 
Church  near  the  town  of  Columbia,  Thus  was  scattered 
some  of  the  godly  seed  that  first  came  to  our  country 
with  Witherspoon  and  James. 

Early  in  the  year  1787,  John  Blair  Smith  organized 
the  elders  of  his  two  churches,  Briery  and  Cumberland, 
in  Virginia,  into  separate  groups.  Each  group  met 
regularly  to  pray  for  a  revival  of  true  religion  in  the 
congregations.  Numbers  of  the  congregations  joined 
the  prayer  meetings  of  the  elders  and  thus  large  prayer 
circles  were  formed.  With  great  fervor  and  animation 
Smith  preached  the  gospel  to  his  people.  President  Smith 
was  slender  and  of  medium  height.  His  hair  was  black. 
It  was  divided  on  the  top  and  fell  on  each  side  of  his  face. 
His  mouth  was  large.  When  aroused,  his  blue  eyes 
seemed  to  grow  dark  and  piercing.  His  speaking  was 
so  earnest  and  impetuous  that  on  one  occasion  he  broke 
a  blood  vessel  and  had  to  be  carried  from  the  pulpit  to 
his  home.  His  preaching  was  plain  and  practical  and 
free  from  ranting.  Sometimes  he  spoke  about  the  pun- 
ishment of  sinners.  More  often,  however,  he  dwelt  upon 
the  love  of  the  Father  and  the  pity  and  compassion  of 
the  Son,  Jesus  Christ.  He  w\as  always  seeking  to  find 
the  consciences  of  his  hearers,  and  his  words  went  home 
to  their  hearts.  The  Spirit  of  God  came  down  upon  the 
two  churches  and  upon  the  young  men  in  Hampden 
Sidney  College.  Sinners  were  awakened  and  lukewarm 
Christians  were  aroused. 

The  first  student  of  Hampden  Sidney  who  gave  his 
heart  to  Christ  during  this  revival  was  Cary  Allen.  His 
father  was  an  elder  in  the  Cumberland  Church.  Cary 
grew  up  as  a  lad  marked  by  mirthfulness  and  humor ; 
his   merry   spirit   would   often   start   his    comrades    to 


176  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

laughing.  President  Smith's  preaching  at  the  college, 
however,  made  him  think  about  his  soul,  and  he  fell 
under  deep  conviction  concerning  sin.  Then  he  went 
to  hear  a  Methodist  preacher  in  a  chapel  near  his 
father's  home.  While  the  minister  was  speaking  Cary 
fell  upon  the  floor  in  great  spiritual  agony.  Before  he 
arose  he  declared  that  he  had  found  peace  in  believing 
in  the  Lord  Jesus. 

When  the  lad  returned  to  the  college.  Dr.  Smith  ques- 
tioned him  closely  about  his  experience,  and  gave  him 
books  to  read.  Gary's  faith  was  clear  and  his  whole  life 
was  changed. 

Allen's  neighbor  at  home  in  Cumberland,  and  his 
friend  at  college,  was  young  William  Hill.  President 
Smith's  preaching  touched  Hill's  heart  also,  and  he  be- 
came troubled.  After  Allen's  conversion,  Hill's  spiritual 
anxiety  increased  and  he  would  fall  upon  his  knees  and 
weep  and  pray.  He  often  seemed  to  feel  upon  his  head 
the  hand  of  his  pious  mother  who  had  died,  and  he 
thought  that  he  could  hear  her  saying  to  him,  "Is  this 
your  mother's  little  preacher  for  whom  she  so  often 
prayed.'"'  He  had  no  Bible,  but  borrowed  a  copy,  and 
one  Saturday  went  into  the  woods  and  read  through  the 
Gospel  of  Matthew.  Then  he  asked  William  Calhoun,  a 
classmate  whose  home  was  near  the  college,  to  bring 
him  a  book  on  religion.  Calhoun  brought  from  his  home 
Alleine's  Alarm  to  the  Unconverted  and  gave  it  to  Hill. 
Another  student,  young  James  Blythe,  from  North  Car- 
olina, entered  Hill's  room  and  found  this  old  book. 
"Are  you  anxious  about  your  soul.'"'  said  Blythe,  with 
much  emotion.  "Yes,  I  am,"  said  Hill.  "I  have  neg- 
lected it  too  long,  I  fear  too  long.  I  am  resolved  to  be 
more  earnest  hereafter."  "What  a  sinner  I  am,"  cried 
Blythe ;  "would  you  believe  I  came  from  Carolina  a  pro- 
fessor of  religion.''  Here  I  have  neglected  my  Bible  and 
have  become  hard  and  cold."  Both  lads  wept  and  con- 
fessed their  faith  to  each  other.     Clement  Reed,  a  stu- 


Revivals  After  the  Revolution  177 

dent  from  Charlotte,  who  was  under  religious  convic- 
tion, joined  Allen,  Hill  and  Blythe,  and  the  four  went 
into  the  woods  on  Saturday  to  pray.  The  next  Satur- 
day they  held  the  meeting  for  prayer  in  a  room  in  the 
college.  A  number  of  wild,  thoughtless  lads  among 
the  students  made  a  great  noise  and  broke  up  the  prayer 
meeting.  When  President  Smith  learned  all  the  facts, 
the  tears  started  in  his  eyes  as  he  said,  "Is  it  possible 
that  some  of  my  students  desire  to  pray.?  And  is  it 
possible  that  any  desire  to  hinder  them?"  He  invited 
the  four  young  men  to  hold  their  next  meeting  for 
prayer  in  his  house.  When  they  came  a  large  com- 
pany of  students  came  with  them  and  Dr.  Smith  led  the 
devotions  of  the  assembly.  The  whole  college  was 
shaken  and  many  believed.  The  four  young  leaders  be- 
came preachers  along  with  Nash  Legrand,  a  classmate. 
Drury  Lacy,  a  teacher  in  the  college,  had  been  already 
licensed  to  preach. 

From  President  Smith's  churches,  as  from  a  foun- 
tain, the  revival  flowed  in  many  directions.  James  Mit- 
chell, a  minister  in  Bedford,  came  to  see  and  hear,  and 
through  his  agency  the  revival  was  borne  into  Bedford 
and  Campbell  counties.  Henry  Pattillo  came  from  be- 
yond the  Dan  River,  bringing  a  number  of  young 
people  from  his  churches.  Then  they  returned  and 
scattered  the  blessed  influences  among  the  people  of 
Granville  and  Caswell  counties,  in  North  Carolina. 
James  McGready  also  tarried  awhile  with  President 
Smith  and  then  went  to  Orange  and  Guilford,  in  North 
Carolina,  to  extend  the  movement  of  grace. 

In  August,  1789,  three  horsemen  passed  slowly  east- 
ward through  a  gap  of  the  Blue  Ridge  into  Prince  Ed- 
ward County,  Virginia.  These  were  William  Graham, 
Rector  of  Liberty  Hall  Academy,  and  two  of  his  stu- 
dents, Archibald  Alexander  and  Samuel  Wilson.  As  the 
three  journeyed  along  the  chief  subjects  of  conversation 
were  Justification  and  Regeneration.     They  had  heard 


178  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders  , 

of  the  great  revival  which  had  been  in  progress  in  John 
Blair  Smith's  congregations  for  nearly  two  years,  and 
they  were  on  the  way  to  attend  the  celebration  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  at  Briery,  one  of  Smith's  churches. 
When  the  three  horsemen  came  near  the  church,  they 
met  a  large  company  of  worshippers  returning  from 
Saturday's  service.  Most  of  them  were  young  people 
on  horseback,  who  were  singing  hymns  as  they  passed 
along  the  roadway  through  the  forest.  Some  of  these 
had  come  a  distance  of  fifty  or  sixty  miles  from  Cas- 
well County,  North  Carolina,  to  attend  the  sacrament. 
With  them  came  their  young  preacher,  a  recent  con- 
vert, Nash  Legrand.  Behind  the  whole  company  of 
singers  came  John  Blair  Smith  with  the  eiders  of  his 
church.  As  soon  as  Smith  saw  Graham,  who  was  wait- 
ing at  the  roadside,  he  went  to  meet  him,  and  the  two 
ministers  greeted  each  other  in  the  most  hearty  and 
eager  manner.  These  two  men,  Graham  and  Smith, 
were  at  that  time  the  foremost  intellectual  and  spiritual 
leaders  among  all  the  Christians  of  the  commonwealth  of 
Virginia.  Both  of  them  had  worn  swords  as  captains  in 
the  war  of  the  Revolution.  Now  they  were  the  chief 
captains  in  the  great  war  against  evil  and  spiritual 
wickedness. 

On  Saturday  evening  a  meeting  was  held  in  the  home 
of  Little  Joe  INIorton,  and  the  place  was  crowded  with 
worshippers.  One  recent  convert  led  in  prayer,  and 
young  William  Hill  made  "a  warm  and  pungent  ad- 
dress" on  the  parable  of  the  barren  fig  tree.  When  John 
Blair  Smith  arose  to  speak  "his  appearance  was  more 
solemn  than  that  of  anyone  I  had  ever  seen,"  said  Archi- 
bald Alexander,  "and  caused  a  feeling  of  awe  to  come 
over  me."  Smith  himself  delivered  "a  powerful  and 
solemn  discourse"  to  the  company. 

The  next  day  at  Briery  a  great  multitude  met  to- 
gether. The  services  were  held  under  an  arbor  outside 
of  the  church.     Dr.  Smith  preached  the  Action  Sermon, 


Revivals  After  the  Revolution  179 

us  the  discourse  preceding  the  sacrament  was  then 
called.  His  text  was  Psalm  51:17:  "The  sacrifices  of 
God  are  a  broken  spirit."  After  the  sacrament  Dr. 
Graham  preached  that  sermon  on  Isaiah  40:1,  "Com- 
fort ye,  comfort  ye  my  people,"  which  was  sppken  of 
as  long  as  any  people  of  that  period  remained  alive. 
"The  good  people  of  Briery  were  entranced,"  says 
Alexander.  "They  had  expected  a  very  cold  and  dry 
discourse."  But  Graham's  heart  had  been  touched  by 
the  Spirit.  His  message  was  delivered  in  burning 
words  that  set  on  fire  the  spirits  of  his  audience. 

When  the  three  horsemen,  Graham  and  Alexander 
and  Wilson,  left  Charlotte  County  they  returned  to  the 
Valley  by  passing  again  through  Bedford  County.  In 
the  church  near  the  Peaks  of  Otter,  of  which  ]\Iitchell  was 
pastor,  the  sacrament  was  celebrated.  James  Turner, 
who  had  recently  turned  from  profanity  unto  a 
godly  life,  was  preaching  also  in  the  congregation. 
Then  the  travelers,  accompanied  by  Legrand  and  a 
large  company  of  other  friends,  returned  to  the  Val- 
ley of  Virginia.  There  Graham  spoke  his  message  with 
great  fervor,  accompanied  with  appeals  that  moved 
men  and  women  to  tears.  Legrand  preached  also,  and 
a  great  revival  began.  Archibald  Alexander  and  a  large 
number  of  his  young  associates  professed  their  faith 
in  Christ,  and  some  of  them  began  at  once  to  prepare 
themselves  for  the  work  of  preaching  the  gospel.  In 
many  other  parts  of  the  South,  and  also  in  the  North, 
the  Spirit  of  God  moved  in  like  manner  upon  the  hearts 
of  the  people,  and  multitudes  of  them  were  added  daily  to 
the  churches. 

One  of  the  immediate  effects  of  the  growth  of  the 
church  was  the  organization  of  the  General  Assembly. 
In  May,  1788,  the  Presbyterian  Churches  in  the  United 
States  divided  themselves  into  four  synods,  two  in  the 
North  and  two  in  the  South;  namely,  (1)  Synod  of 
New  York  and  New  Jersey,  consisting  of  four  presby- 


180  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

teries;  (2)  Synod  of  Philadelphia,  consisting  of  five 
presbyteries,  one  of  which,  the  Presbytery  of  Balti- 
more, was  located  in  Maryland;  (3)  Synod  of  Vir- 
ginia, consisting  of  the  four  presbyteries  of  Redstone, 
Hanover,  Lexington  and  Transylvania,  the  latter 
being  in  the  Kentucky  country;  (4)  Synod  of  the  Caro- 
linas,  consisting  of  the  three  presbyteries  of  Abingdon, 
Orange  and  South  Carolina.  There  were  thus  eight 
presbyteries  in  the  South  and  eight  in  the  North.  The 
Synod  of  Virginia  held  its  first  meeting  at  New  Provi- 
dence Church,  Rockbridge  County,  on  October  22, 
1788.  On  November  5,  1788,  the  Synod  of  the  Caro- 
linas  held  its  first  meeting  at  Centre  Church,  in  North 
Carolina,  David  Caldwell  being  chosen  moderator. 
Then,  on  the  21st  of  May,  1789,  delegates  from  all  of 
the  sixteen  presbyteries  met  in  Philadelphia  to  constitute 
the  first  General  Assembly. 


ARCHIBALD   ALEXANDER 


Facing  page   ISl 


Part  III. — Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders  from 
1789  TO  1861. 

CHAPTER    XXVII. 

ARCHIBALD  ALEXANDER,   PRESIDENT   OF  HAMPDEN   SIDNEY 

COLLEGE,    AND   FIRST   TEACHER   OF    THEOLOGY 

IN  PRINCETON  SEMINARY. 

One  morning  in  the  autumn  of  the  year  1789,  a  young 
man,  who  was  then  in  the  eighteenth  year  of  his  age,  be- 
gan to  climb  the  long  slope  of  a  hill  near  the  little  town 
of  Lexington,  in  the  Valley  of  Virginia.  He  carried 
a  Bible  in  his  hand.  With  rapid  steps  he  made  his  way 
among  the  trees  that  covered  the  side  of  the  hill  until  he 
came  to  a  large  rock  within  a  little  valley.  At  the  foot 
of  the  rock  he  knelt  in  prayer  for  his  own  salvation. 
He  wished  to  have  the  conscious  feeling  within  his  own 
heart  that  his  soul  was  redeemed. 

Then  a  passage  was  read  from  the  Bible  and  another 
prayer  was  offered.  Thus  he  read  the  word  and 
prayed,  and  read  and  prayed  again  and  again,  until 
his  strength  was  gone,  for  the  young  man  had  not  tasted 
food  that  day.  Weak  as  he  was  and  in  despair,  ib 
seemed  to  him  that  God  would  not  hear  him.  His  own 
heart  seemed  to  him  to  become  harder  and  more  and 
more  devoid  of  every  serious  emotion.  He  knelt  again 
on  the  ground  and  uttered  one  broken  cry  for  help, 
"when,  in  a  moment,"  he  tells  us,  "I  had  such  a  view  of 
a  crucified  Saviour  as  is  without  a  parallel  in  my  ex- 
perience. 

"The  whole  plan  of  grace  appeared  as  clear  as  day. 
I  was  persuaded  that  God  was  willing  to  accept  me,  just 
as  I  was,  and  convinced  that  I  had  never  before  under- 

181 


182  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

stood  the  freeness  of  salvation,  but  had  always  been 
striving  to  bring  some  price  in  my  hand,  or  to  prepare 
myself  for  receiving  Christ.  Now  I  discovered  that  I 
could  receive  him  in  all  his  offices  at  that  very  moment, 
which  I  was  sure  at  the  time  I  did.  I  felt  truly  a  joy 
which  was  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory.  How  long 
this  delightful  frame  continued  I  cannot  tell.  But  when 
my  affections  had  a  little  subsided  I  opened  my  Bible 
and  alighted  on  the  eighteenth  and  nineteenth  chapters 
of  John.  The  second  page  appeared  to  be  illuminated ; 
the  truths  were  new,  as  if  I  had  never  read  them  before ; 
and  I  thought  it  would  be  always  thus.  Having  often 
thought  of  engaging  in  a  written  covenant  with  God,  but 
having  never  before  found  a  freedom  to  do  so,  I  now 
felt  no  hesitation,  and,  having  writing  materials  in  my 
pocket,  I  sat  down  and  penned  it  exactly  from  my  feel- 
ings and  solemnly  signed  it  as  in  the  presence  of  God." 
The  name  signed  to  the  covenant  was  that  of  Archi- 
bald Alexander.  In  this  paper  he  solemnly  gave  himself 
unto  God.  The  struggle  within  his  own  spirit  which 
had  been  in  progress  for  months  had  ended  in  the  peace 
which  he  found  under  the  shadow  of  the  great  rock  in 
the  forest.  Soon  afterwards  he  stood  up  among  the 
people  of  William  Graham's  congregation  and  made  a 
public  profession  of  his  faith  in  Christ. 

Three  brothers  who  were  Scots  bearing  the  names  of 
Archibald,  Robert  and  William  Alexander,  came  from 
North  Ireland  to  Pennsylvania  about  the  year  1736. 
A  few  years  afterwards  two  of  the  brothers,  Archibald 
and  Robert,  moved  southward  into  the  Valley  of  Vir- 
ginia. Robert  established  there,  in  1749,  the  Augusta 
Academy,  which  was  afterwards  called  the  Liberty  Hall 
Academy.  Archibald  built  a  home  on  South  River,  a 
branch  of  the  James,  within  the  limits  of  the  present 
Rockbridge  County.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first  body 
of  elders  of  the  Church  at  Timber  Ridge. 

The  first  Archibald  Alexander,  called  "Old  Ersbell" 


A7xhibald  Alexcmder  183 

by  his  neighbors,  was  below  the  common  height.  He 
was  "thick-set,  broad-breasted  and  strongly  built. 
His  face  was  broad,  his  eyes  large,  black  and  promi- 
nent." He  was  a  man  of  great  kindness  of  heart.  As 
captain  of  riflemen,  he  led  his  neighbors  in  their  fights 
against  the  Indians.  His  life  was  marked  by  the 
strictest  honesty.  "No  one  expects  a  descendant  of 
'Old  ErsbelP  to  be  greedy,  or  avaricious,  or  pinch- 
ing, or  unkind,  or  indolent,  or  ignorant,  or  very  rich," 
says  Dr.  W.  H.  Foote.  "But  the  public  did  expect 
them  to  know  their  catechism,  to  be  familiar  with  their 
Bible,  to  keep  the  Sabbath,  to  fear  God,  keep  a  good 
conscience,  with  industry  and  economy  to  be  independent 
and  at  last  to  die  Christianly."  Archibald  Alexander's 
eldest  son,  William,  also  became  an  elder.  He  knew 
all  of  the  Larger  Catechism  and  nearly  all  of  Watts's 
Psalms  and  Hymns.  William  built  a  log  house  near  his 
father's  home  on  South  River  and  there  on  April  17, 
1772,  his  son  Archibald  was  born. 

Archy  Alexander,  as  this  boy  was  called,  was 
trained  to  use  the  rifle,  to  ride  horseback  and  to  swim 
in  the  mountain  streams.  An  Irish  servant,  John  Rear- 
don,  who  lived  in  his  father's  home,  taught  him  a  little 
Latin.  The  Catechisms  were,  of  course,  committed  to 
memory.  Then  Archy  entered  Liberty  Hall  Academy 
and  was  drilled  in  Latin  and  Greek  and  the  philosophy 
of  the  mind  by  William  Graham.  He  did  not  think, 
however,  that  he  made  rapid  progress  in  his  studies. 
Of  his  own  writing  and  composition  at  that  time  he 
says  that  "nothing  could  have  been  more  miserable." 
"Once  I  attempted  to  take  part  in  a  debate,  but  it 
was  an  utter  failure."  The  winter  after  he  completed 
his  sixteenth  year  was  occupied  by  young  Alexan- 
der as  a  teacher  in  the  family  of  General  John  Posey, 
who  lived  near  Fredericksburg.  Hard  work  there 
laid  the  foundation  for  good  scholarship  in  the  Latin 
language  and  in  history.     He  became  disturbed  about 


184  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

the  spiritual  state  of  his  own  soul  and  was  led  to 
read  the  works  of  John  Flavel.  In  later  life  he  believed 
that  he  became  a  Christian  during  that  winter  in 
General  Posey's  home.  He  returned  to  his  father's 
home  in  1789,  made  the  journey  to  Charlotte  with 
Mr.  Graham  and  afterwards  passed  through  a  spiritual 
struggle  which  ended,  as  we  have  seen,  in  the  making 
of  that  covenant  with  his  God  which  was  written  under 
the  shadow  of  the  great  rock  near  the  town  of  Lexington. 

For  many  months  after  this  time,  however,  Alexan- 
der's spirit  was  passing  back  and  forth  from  the  sun- 
shine into  the  shadow.  He  was  often  again  in  despair 
about  himself.  A  burning  fever  came  and  wasted  away 
his  frame.  Then  in  the  summer  of  the  year  1790  he 
decided  to  become  a  preacher,  although  he  considered 
himself  as  entirely  unfit  for  this  sacred  calling. 

When  Alexander  went  to  William  Graham  to  begin 
his  studies  in  preparation  for  the  ministry,  he  asked 
the  teacher  to  give  him  a  list  of  books  for  reading. 
Graham  smiled  and  said,  "If  you  mean  ever  to  be  a 
theologian,  you  must  come  at  it  not  by  reading,  but 
by  thinking."  He  told  Alexander  that  he  must  learn 
to  think  for  himself  and  to  form  his  own  opinions 
from  the  Bible.  "This  conversation,"  says  Alexan- 
der, "discouraged  me  more  than  if  he  had  told  me  to 
read  half  a  dozen  folios.  For  as  to  learning  any- 
thing by  my  own  thoughts  I  had  no  idea  of  its  prac- 
ticability. But  it  did  me  more  good  than  any  direc- 
tions or  counsels  I  ever  received.  It  threw  me  on  my 
own  resources  and  led  me  to  feel  the  necessity  of  dis- 
ciplining my  own  thoughts  and  searching  into  the  prin- 
ciples of  things." 

Seven  or  eight  young  men  formed  the  class  in  the 
study  of  theology  that  began,  in  1789,  to  sit  at  Gra- 
ham's feet.  They  listened  to  Graham's  lectures  on 
the  philosophy  of  the  mind.  At  the  same  time  the 
young  students   read  a   few   standard  books   by   such 


Archibald  Alexander  185 

authors  as  Edwards,  Owen  and  Boston.  They  also 
carried  on  daily  discussions  among  themselves  and 
debated  all  of  the  points  in  controversy  between  Cal- 
vinists  and  Arminians.  Every  Saturday  they  met  Mr. 
Graham  in  his  study.  There  was  first  a  recitation  upon 
the  lectures  delivered  by  the  teacher.  Then  each  stu- 
dent read  a  paper  upon  some  prescribed  subject.  The 
work  of  the  day  was  concluded  with  a  debate  upon  a 
number  of  subjects  previously  assigned.  Graham 
gave  to  the  students  the  benefit  of  his  own  views  upon 
these  themes,  but  he  was  stern  and  dogmatic  in  announc- 
ing his  own  opinions.  He  did  not  show  any  respect  for 
an  opinion  opposed  to  that  which  he  himself  held,  and 
he  did  not  like  to  be  contradicted.  In  spite  of  all  this,  he 
brought  into  exercise  all  the  powers  of  the  students.  In 
this  manner  Graham  trained  some  of  the  greatest  preach- 
ers of  our  country  for  their  work. 

In  October,  1790,  Alexander  was  taken  under  the  care 
of  Lexington  Presbytery.  Then  Graham  took  two 
of  his  ministerial  students,  Archibald  Alexander  and 
John  Lyle,  to  the  house  of  John  McKee,  near  Lexing- 
ton, and  asked  them  to  make  a  religious  address  to  the 
people  assembled  there.  "Lyle  appeared  to  be  much 
animated  and  elevated,"  says  Alexander.  "He  told  me 
that  he  had  a  remarkable  flow  of  thought,  and  seemed 
confident  of  a  prosperous  issue ;  which  only  discouraged 
me  the  more  as  I  was  weighed  down  with  a  heavy  bur- 
den. After  singing  and  prayer,  Mr.  Graham  called 
first  upon  Lyle,  who  arose  with  an  awful  cloud  upon 
his  brow,  seized  hold  of  the  chair  upon  which  he  had 
been  sitting  and  with  many  contortions  of  countenance 
forced  out  a  few  words ;  but  his  flow  of  thought  had 
deserted  him.  He  hummed  and  groaned,  rolled  up  his 
pocket  handkerchief  into  a  ball,  made  a  few  convul- 
sive gestures  and  sat  down.  After  another  prayer  and 
hymn,  I  was  called  upon.  Although  I  did  not  know  a 
single  word  which  I  was  to  utter,  I  began  with  a  rapid- 


186  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

ity  and  fluency  equal  to  any  I  have  enjoyed  to  this 
day.  I  was  astonished  at  myself,  and  as  I  was  young 
and  small,  the  old  people  were  not  less  astonished. 
From  this  time  I  exhorted  at  one  place  and  another, 
several  times  every  week." 

In  the  spring  of  1791,  Alexander  was  examined  by 
the  presbytery  on  the  Latin  and  Greek  languages 
and  the  sciences.  He  read  his  exegesis  and  his 
homily  to  the  presbytery.  Then  William  Graham 
urged  that  a  subject  be  assigned  to  Alexander  for 
a  trial  sermon  to  be  delivered  the  next  meeting 
of  presbytery.  Alexander  wished  to  postpone  this 
sermon,  pleading  his  youth  and  lack  of  prepara- 
tion. Graham  said,  however,  that  the  young  student's 
acquirements  were  greater  than  usual  and  that  he  was 
ready  for  active  work.  On  September  20,  1791,  Alex- 
ander stood  before  the  Lexington  Presbytery,  accord- 
ing to  the  custom  of  that  time,  and  opened  the  pro- 
ceedings with  a  sermon  on  Jeremiah  1 :7 :  "Say  not,  I 
am  a  child."  He  was  so  small  in  stature  that  he  seemed 
but  a  little  boy.  His  eye  was  dark  and  piercing  and 
his  voice  rang  out  in  a  silver  tone,  as  clear  and  as  musi- 
cal as  a  flute.  Every  one  present  was  surprised  at 
the  clearness  of  his  reasoning  and  the  ease  and  rapidity 
of  his  speaking.  Graham  wept  for  joy  when  he  saw 
the  power  manifested  in  the  sermon  of  his  pupil.  The 
members  of  the  presbytery  rode  at  once  to  Winches- 
ter to  attend  Synod,  and  there  they  held  a  meeting  and 
licensed  Alexander  to  preach. 

The  young  minister  preached  next  in  a  house  near 
Winchester  and  there  the  old  soldier  of  the  Revolution, 
General  Daniel  Morgan,  was  among  those  who  listened  to 
him.  Then  he  went  to  Charlestown  and  began  to  preach 
from  a  written  outline  which  he  placed  in  front  of  him. 
A  puff  of  wind  came  through  the  open  door  and  carried 
the  paper  away  until  it  fell  among  the  congregation.  "I 
then  determined,"  he  says,  "to  take  no  more  paper  into 


Archibald  Alexander  187 

the  pulpit."  During  the  winter  he  preached  for  Moses 
Hoge  at  Shepherdstown,  for  William  Hill  at  Charles- 
town  and  for  Nash  Legrand  at  Opecquon.  Every 
where  crowds  came  to  hear  him  speak^  for  he  was  full 
of  animation  in  those  early  years  and  gave  free  swing 
to  his  imagination.  Dr.  Speece  said  that  Alexander,  in 
his  youth,  was  like  "a  young  horse  of  high  blood,  let 
out  into  a  spacious  pasture,  exercising  every  muscle 
and  careering  in  every  direction  with  extravagant  de- 
light." 

His  sermons  were  not  written,  but  were  studied  out 
as  he  rode  from  house  to  house  on  horseback.  In  his 
own  mind,  by  silent  thought,  he  arranged  in  systematic 
order  the  sentences  and  the  very  words  of  his  dis- 
courses. For  all  the  labors  of  tha.t  winter  he  received 
not  one  cent  of  pay.  He  expected  nothing,  however,  for 
he  was  only  "trying  his  gifts."  He  had  to  buy  a  pair 
of  trousers  and  for  these  he  sent  back  the  money  after 
returning  to  his  father's  house. 

As  he  rode  homeward  along  the  Valley,  everybody 
was  eager  to  hear  the  preaching  of  "the  boy,"  Archy 
Alexander.  A  great  crowd  assembled  in  Staunton  to 
listen  and  admire.  The  people  of  his  home  town,  Lex- 
ington, filled  the  court  house  and  were  delighted.  Then 
he  went  to  the  Oxford  Meeting-house,  near  Lexington, 
and  another  crowd  met  him.  The  people  were  pleased 
and  profited  to  hear  the  rapid  flow  of  his  words,  and  the 
tender  appeals  contained  in  his  message. 

Two  faults,  he  tells  us,  marked  his  preaching  at  that 
time.  One  was  the  extreme  rapidity  of  his  utterance, 
for  he  ran  on  until  he  was  out  of  breath.  The  other 
fault  was  a  habit  of  looking  steadily  down  upon  the 
floor.  These  faults  he  afterwards  corrected.  His  mod- 
esty, however,  remained  with  him.  "I  was  so  conscious 
of  my  own  defects,"  he  says,  "that  often  after  preach- 
ing I  was  ashamed  to  come  down  from  the  pulpit,  and 
wondered  that  any  could  speak  kindly  to  me."    "I  have 


188  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

commonly  felt,"  he  wrote  again,  "that  the  people  who 
admired  my  preaching  were  deceived." 

In  the .  summer  of  1792,  Alexander  and  his  friend, 
Benjamin  Grigsby,  were  appointed  by  the  Synod  of  Vir- 
ginia to  travel  through  the  region  east  of  the  Blue  Ridge 
and  preach  the  gospel.  They  journeyed  through  Prince 
Edward  and  Charlotte  and  all  of  the  adjoining  coun- 
ties. The  congregations  drank  in  the  words  of  the 
evangelists  wherever  they  spoke.  On  one  occasion  the 
people  seemed  so  ready  to  hear  that  Alexander  con- 
tinued to  preach  for  nearly  two  hours.  Then  he  dis- 
missed the  assembly,  but  not  one  person  left  the  house. 
Since  they  held  their  seats,  he  arose  again  and  gave 
them  another  sermon,  three-quarters  of  an  hour  in 
length. 

In  1793  Drury  Lacy  and  Archibald  Alexander,  as 
colleagues,  took  charge  of  the  six  churches  near  Hamp- 
den Sidney  College.  Lacy,  as  Vice-President,  was  then 
managing  the  affairs  of  the  college  itself.  In  the  follow- 
ing year  Alexander  became  the  regular  shepherd  of  the 
flocks  at  Briery  and  Cub  Creek.  There  he  gave  himself 
up  to  preaching  and  study.  He  read  every  book  that  he 
could  buy  or  borrow.  He  had  a  burning  desire  to  save 
the  souls  of  men,  and  he  sought  them  out  in  their 
homes.  He  made  his  own  home  in  the  family  of  Major 
Edmund  Read,  of  Charlotte  County.  There  under  the 
great  oaks  on  the  lawn  he  walked  back  and  forth  or  sat 
still  while  he  was  drawing  out  in  his  mind  the  thread  of 
a  great  discourse.  Sometimes  he  wrote  these  out  with 
great  care,  after  delivery. 

Early  in  1799  Alexander  was  made  President  of 
Hampden  Sidney  College.  He  continued,  at  the  same 
time,  to  preach  at  Briery  and  at  the  College  Church. 
His  labors  here  were  so  incessant  that  his  health  was 
injured.  In  the  summer  of  1801,  therefore,  he  made 
a  horseback  journey  through  New  England.  The  young 
Virginia  preacher  was  invited  to  preach  in  all  of  the 


Archibald  Alexander  189 

large  churches  of  the  East.  His  sermons  were  admired 
and  warmly  praised  by  the  ministers  of  New  York, 
New  Haven,  Boston  and  other  centers.  At  Harvard 
College  and  Dartmouth  College,  special  honors  were 
shown  him. 

In  April,  1802,  Alexander  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Janetta  Waddell,  daughter  of  the  "blind  preacher." 
Together  they  took  up  the  work  at  the  college  in  May, 
1802.  Under  Alexander's  management  the  school  be- 
came prosperous.  An  increasing  number  of  students 
came  each  year.  Many  of  these  became  ministers  and 
helped  to  build  up  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
South  and  Southwest.  Archibald  Alexander  himself 
soon  became  known  as  the  most  efficient  preacher  of  his 
day  in  our  whole  country.  As  a  speaker  he  was  full  of 
vigor  and  animation  and  his  delivery  was  marked  by 
great  charm  of  manner.  His  knowledge  was  widened 
with  continual  study  and  he  became,  also,  one  of  the 
greatest  scholars  of  liis  time.  His  pen  soon  became  busy 
in  producing  the  many  books  and  pamphlets  which  he 
left  behind  him. 

In  1807  Dr.  Alexander  was  made  pastor  of  the  Pine 
Street  Church  in  Philadelphia.  Then  in  1812  he  be- 
came the  first  teacher  of  theology  in  Princeton  Semi- 
nary and  held  that  position  until  his  death  in  1851. 

Three  times  during  his  residence  at  Princeton,  Dr.  Al- 
exander came  to  visit  his  friends  in  Virginia.  Each 
time  they  poured  out  their  warmest  love  upon  him.  His 
own  strongest  affections  were  lavished,  in  turn,  upon 
the  friends  of  his  youth. 

One  Sunday  morning  in  October,  1816,  Dr.  Alexan- 
der stood  up  to  preach  in  the  church  at  Fredericksburg. 
The  Synod  of  Virginia  was  then  holding  its  sessions  in 
that  place  of  worship  and  the  members  of  that  body, 
with  a  great  company  of  other  persons,  were  seated 
before  him.  The  Lord's  Supper  was  to  be  celebrated 
and  the  preacher's  text  was,  "Christ  our  passover  is 


190  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

sacrificed  for  us"  (I.  Cor.  5:7).  He  began  his  sermon 
in  a  manner  so  quiet  and  simple  that  many  were  dis- 
appointed. One  prominent  lawyer  thought  the  preach- 
ing so  poor  that  he  arose  from  his  seat  and  Avalked  out 
of  the  church.  Alexander  began  to  grow  warm  and  his 
whole  manner  was  marked  by  life  and  action.  When  he 
had  described  the  Jewish  passover,  he  turned  the  atten- 
tion of  his  audience  to  the  sacrifice  of  Christ  by  bend- 
ing forward  and  looking  intently  upon  the  table  where 
the  bread  and  wine  lay  covered.  "But  there  is  our 
lamb,"  he  said.  The  manner  and  voice  of  the  preacher 
went  home  to  the  heart  of  every  member  of  the  congre- 
gation. An  old  Frenchman,  seated  near  the  pulpit, 
arose  to  his  feet  and  looked  intently  at  the  table,  ex- 
pecting to  see  the  lamb.  Alexander's  discourse  then 
moved  rapidly  forward.  As  he  spoke  of  the  successive 
scenes  in  the  suffering  of  Jesus,  tears  started  from  eyes 
that  were  not  used  to  weeping.  "When  he  depicted  the 
last  scene  of  our  Saviour's  suffering  on  the  cross,  that 
power  of  descriptive  painting  for  which  he  was  re- 
markable in  his  pulpit  efforts,  was  displayed  in  a  man- 
ner rarely  surpassed  by  the  most  accomplished  orators. 
Amidst  the  unutterable  agonies,  which  Jesus  suffered 
while  hanging  on  the  cross,  he  introduced  Mary,  his 
mother,  among  the  spectators,  beholding  the  cruel  suf- 
ferings of  her  beloved  son,  and  quoted  the  prediction 
of  Simeon  as  there  fulfilled:  'Yea,  a  sword  shall  pierce 
through  thine  own  soul.'  Such  was  his  gesture,  his 
voice,  his  whole  manner,  that  had  Mary  actually  stood 
before  the  audience,  with  flowing  tears  and  every  token 
of  deepest  sorrow,  the  impression  could  hardly  have 
been  increased." 

In  the  summer  of  1825,  Alexander  came  again  to 
Virginia  and  preached  to  all  of  the  congregations  that 
he  had  once  served.  The  hearts  of  all  of  his  people 
were  moved  towards  him  with  a  great  love.  During 
the  remainder  of  life  they  dated  every  event  as  having 


Archibald  Alexander  191 

taken  place  either  before  or  after  "Doctor  Alexander's 
visit." 

On  the  29th  of  June,  1843,  Dr.  Alexander,  then  in 
his  seventy-second  year,  made  an  address  in  the  church 
at  Lexington,  Virginia.  He  had  come  to  pay  a  last 
visit  to  the  region  of  his  birth  and  childhood.  The 
commencement  exercises  of  Washington  College  were  in 
progress,  and  Alexander  was  speaking  to  the  alumni  of 
that  school.  The  heat  of  the  summer  afternoon  was 
too  severe  for  the  speaker.  After  delivering  a  part  of 
his  discourse  he  faltered,  grew  pale,  and  sank  into  a 
seat.  He  arose  and  attempted  again  to  speak,  but  soon 
gave  way  and  his  friends  carried  him  into  the  open  air. 
These  friends  urged  him  to  permit  another  to  read  the 
address  for  him.  But  this  he  would  not  allow.  He  must 
perform  his  own  duty,  he  said.  He  sat  in  a  chair  out- 
side of  the  church  and  under  its  shadow.  The  graves 
of  his  father  and  mother  were  within  a  few  yards  of 
him.  The  stones  marking  the  tombs  of  those  whom  he 
had  loved  in  his  youth  were  all  about  him.  The  de- 
scendants of  those  early  settlers  formed  the  audience 
that  gathered  about  his  chair  and  drank  in  every  word 
as  Dr.  Alexander  spoke  of  the  founder  of  Washington 
College,  that  is,  of  William  Graham,  first  Rector  of 
Liberty  Hall  Academy.  He  gave  a  sketch  of  Graham's 
character  and  spoke  of  his  great  work  in  behalf  of 
learning  and  religion.  Thus  Alexander,  in  his  old  age, 
paid  his  debt  of  gratitude  to  the  man  who  had  brought 
him  into  the  gospel  ministry. 

Dr.  Alexander  worked  without  ceasing  until  he  en- 
tered his  eightieth  year.  Then  the  strength  left  his 
body.  As  the  shadows  of  death  gathered  about  him,  his 
soul  was  in  a  state  of  perfect  peace.  "He  spoke  of  dy- 
ing with  the  same  natural  cheerfulness  with  which  he 
would  have  spoken  of  going  from  one  room  to  another." 
One  night,  just  before  the  end,  he  was  in  a  rapture  and 
spoke  of  the  time  spent  under  the  shadow  of  the  rock 


192  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

in  the  hills  near  Lexington,  where  the  great  joy  filled 
his  youthful  heart.  As  his  spirit  entered  the  A^alley  there 
seemed  to  be  a  light  about  him.  His  Saviour  was  present 
to  guide  and  to  sustain.  "There  was  nothing  excited, 
nothing  exultant,  and  yet  he  seemed  to  be  thoroughly 
triumphant,"  wrote  one  who  witnessed  his  death;  "a 
calm,  believing,  cheerful  looking  through  the  gloomy 
grave  into  the  glories  of  the  eternal  world."  Heaven's 
door  opened  and  he  entered  with  joy. 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

MOSES  HOGE,   PRESIDENT  OF  THE  COLLEGE  AND  TEACHER 
OF  THEOLOGY  AT  HAMPDEN  SIDNEY,  IN   VIRGINIA. 

In  October,  180T,  a  few  months  after  the  departure  of 
President  Archibald  Alexander,  Moses  Hoge  came  to 
Hampden  Sidney  to  take  up  the  duties  of  the  presi- 
dency of  the  college.  He  was  then  in  his  fifty-sixth 
year,  and  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  upon  "The 
Hill"  in  Prince  Edward  County,  training  young  men 
for  their  work  and  leading  many  of  them  into  the  gospel 
ministry. 

Moses  Hoge  was  the  son  of  James  Hoge,  a  man  of 
"robust  intellect  and  a  self-taught  theologian,"  who 
dwelt  near  Winchester,  in  the  beautiful  Valley  of  Vir- 
ginia. James  was  a  son  of  William  Hoge,  one  of  the 
first  settlers  on  Opecquon  Creek.  James  was  an  elder 
in  the  Opecquon  Church  where  his  nephew,  John  Hoge, 
served  as  minister  for  many  years.  When  Moses,  the 
ninth  son  of  James,  became  a  strong-armed  lad,  he 
learned  to  plow  and  reap  on  his  father's  farm.  He  was 
sent  for  a  short  time  to  a  classical  school.  When  he 
went  back  again  to  the  work  of  planting,  he  fastened 
a  book  to  the  plow;  at  the  end  of  each  furrow  he  ran 
his  eyes  over  the  printed  page  and  then  fixed  the  con- 
tents in  his  mind  while  he  followed  the  team  across  the 
field. 

"Sanctified  learning  is  the  greatest  blessing;  un- 
sanctified  learning  is  the  greatest  curse."  This  senti- 
ment, uttered  by  Samuel  Stanhope  Smith,  sank  deep 
into  the  heart  of  young  Moses  Hoge.  He  determined 
that  he  would  be  a  man  of  learning.  At  an  early  age 
he  gave  his  heart  to  Christ  and  made  up  his  mind  to 

193 


194  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders  ' 

serve  Him  in  the  gospel  ministry.  He  sat  under  the 
instruction  of  William  Graham,  at  Liberty  Hall  Acad- 
emy, and  in  1781,  in  the  thirtieth  year  of  his  age,  was 
licensed  to  preach.  Then  in  the  autumn  of  1787  he 
became  pastor  of  the  church  at  Shepherdstown  on  the 
Potomac,  and  there  he  remained  for  twenty  years. 

Dr.  Hoge  was  a  reader  of  many  books  and  he  col- 
lected a  good  library.  In  1793  he  published  a  book 
defending  the  principles  of  the  Calvinistic  system  of 
religion.  In  1805  he  opened  a  classical  school  in  his 
own  congregation  and  trained  several  young  preachers. 

In  person  Dr.  Hoge  was  slender  and  of  medium 
height;  his  features  were  clear-cut  and  his  countenance 
was  grave  and  dignified.  One  who  knew  him  well  tells 
us  that  "his  manners,  though  without  much  artificial 
polish,  were  familiar  and  agreeable,  expressing  very 
strongly  the  kindness  and  benignity  of  his  spirit.  He 
possessed  a  mind  of  uncommon  vigor,  capable  at  once 
of  accurate  discrimination  and  profound  research,  and 
withal  richly  stored  with  the  treasures  of  scientific 
knowledge.  As  a  preacher  his  manner  was  ungraceful, 
even  uncouth ;  but  there  was  so  much  depth  and  origi- 
nality of  thought,  such  richness  and  force  of  illustra- 
tion, and  such  clear  and  cogent  reasoning,  that  the 
awkwardness  of  his  manner  was  very  soon  quite  over- 
looked or  forgotten." 

A  fellow  minister,  Joseph  Glass,  said  of  Hoge:  "It 
was  not  that  he  was  unlike  other  men,  but  that  he  was 
always  like  himself;  not  that  he  was  zealously  engaged 
in  doing  good  today,  but  that  in  doing  good  he  was 
zealously  engaged  every  day ;  not  that  he  performed 
duty,  but  that  he  never  tired  in  performing  it;  not 
that  he  put  his  hand  to  the  plow,  but  that  he  never 
looked  back ;  not  that  he  knew  how  to  do  good,  but  that 
he  knew  not  how  to  do  harm;  and  it  was  on  a  founda- 
tion composed  of  these  singular  materials  that  he 
erected  the  monument  of  an  unspotted  life." 


Moses  Hoge  195 

During  most  of  Hoge's  ministry  at  Shepherdstown, 
Nash  Legrand  was  in  charge  of  the  two  churches  at 
Opecquon  and  Cedar  Creek,  where  his  gentle  persua- 
sion and  his  godly  life  won  many  hearts  for  the  Master. 
In  the  year  1800  William  Hill  began  his  long  and  suc- 
cessful ministry  in  the  church  at  Winchester.  He  was 
a  preacher  of  surpassing  power.  Moreover,  as  the  head 
master  of  a  school  for  young  women,  he  manifested 
high  qualities  of  mind  and  heart. 

When  Moses  Hoge  was  made  president  of  Hampden 
Sidney  College  (1807),  he  was  told  that  the  Hanover. 
Presbytery  expected  him  to  become  also  the  chief  teacher 
in  a  school  of  theology.  In  the  following  year  (1808), 
therefore,  be  began  to  give  instruction  in  theology  to  a 
group  of  ministerial  candidates.  In  1812,  however, 
when  Archibald  Alexander  went  to  Princeton  to  estab- 
lish a  seminary,  Moses  Hoge  continued  with  enlarged 
authority  to  train  preachers  at  Hampden  Sidney ;  for 
he  was  then,  in  a  formal  manner,  appointed  professor  of 
theology  by  the  Synod  of  Virginia. 

Dr.  Hoge's  preaching  grew  more  impressive  as  his 
years  advanced.  His  arms  seemed  always  too  long  and 
their  movements  were  awkward,  but  his  words  gave  ex- 
pression to  the  love  that  filled  a  great  heart.  "That 
man  is  the  best  of  orators,"  said  John  Randolph  of 
Roanoke,  who  often  listened  to  Hoge's  sermons.  "He 
never  properly  made  gestures,"  writes  Dr.  Foote,  "yet 
every  limb  and  feature  spoke  to  his  hearers.  A  jerk 
of  his  elbow,  or  a  swing  of  his  long  arm  was  the  pre- 
cursor or  accompaniment  of  a  sweeping  proposition, 
an  unanswerable  argument  or  the  assertion  of  a  great 
truth.  The  turning  and  twisting  of  his  handkerchief, 
with  both  hands,  indicated  the  evolution  of  some  grand 
truth,  or  deep  feeling,  or  pathetic  appeal.  His  old 
acquaintances  understood  his  motions  and  felt  assured 
of  the  richness  of  his  abundant  resources  of  mind  and 
heart.     The  tremor  of  his  arm  would  start  the  expec- 


196  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

tation  of  a  rich  exhibition  of  truth.  The  starting  tear 
in  his  eye  would  unlock  the  fountains  in  their  hearts. 
The  hesitation  in  his  speech  would  make  them  almost 
breathless  to  catch  the  promised  word." 

In  1814,  during  our  second  war  with  England,  the 
British  landed  a  force  of  troops  and  burned  the  Capi- 
tol at  Washington.  It  was  then  reported  that  the  same 
soldiers  were  marching  toward  Richmond.  This  news 
came  to  Dr.  Hoge  one  Sunday  afternoon  just  as  he 
was  beginning  his  usual  religious  service.  He  stood  up 
at  once  and  spoke  to  his  audience  upon  the  duty  of 
defending  home  and  country.  He  urged  the  men  pres- 
ent to  take  their  rifles  and  go  to  meet  the  enemy.  The 
next  day  at  noon  a  company  of  horsemen  was  ready 
and  Dr.  Hoge  again  addressed  them,  urgmg  each  sol- 
dier to  fight  even  unto  death. 

Three  of  the  sons  of  Moses  Hoge  became  ministers; 
these  were  James,  John  Blair  and  Samuel  Davies.  The 
latter  left  a  son,  Moses  Drury  Hoge,  of  whom  we  shall 
hear  in  a  later  chapter  of  this  volume.  James  spent 
most  of  his  ministerial  life  in  Ohio.  John  Blair  was 
not  strong  in  body  and  died  at  an  early  eage,  but  while 
he  lived  he  was  one  of  the  most  successful  preachers  of 
his  time.  He  first  became  a  lawyer,  then  studied  the- 
ology and  was  minister  of  the  churches  of  Tuscarora 
and  Falling  Waters,  near  Martinsburg,  in  the  lower 
Valley  of  Virginia.  His  powers  of  imagination,  his 
command  of  words  and  the  earnestness  of  his  manner 
held  the  attention  of  all  who  heard  him. 

One  night  in  the  church  at  Fredericksburg,  John 
Blair  Hoge  preached  before  the  Synod  of  Virginia.  It 
was  only  a  day  or  two  before  Archibald  Alexander 
preached  his  famous  sacramental  sermon  in  the  same 
church  and  in  the  presence  of  the  same  synod.  Hoge's 
text  was  on  the  trembling  of  Felix  (Acts  24:  25).  His 
manner,  we  are  told  by  Dr.  Foote,  was  somewhat  awk- 
ward and  his  voice  had  a  slight  hoarseness.    "He  gave 


John  Blair  Hoge  197 

a  short  history  of  the  parties  grouped  in  the  text  and 
context,  and  by  his  graphic  skill  we  saw  them  all  living 
and  moving  before  us,  the  judge,  the  splendid  company 
and  the  prisoner,  all  in  our  'mind's  eye.'  As  he  went 
on,  his  strong  features  softened  and  beamed  with  ten- 
derness and  intellect,  and  any  want  of  gTacefulness  was 
lost  in  his  dignified  bearing  and  commanding  manner. 
*  *  *  The  attention  deepened.  All  were  motion- 
less but  the  venerable  old  man  [Moses  Hoge],  whose 
varying  countenance  and  agitated  limbs  exhibited  the 
deep  emotions  of  a  father  listening  to  a  son  in  the  min- 
istry. As  the  scenes  and  subject  changed  from  right- 
eousness to  temperance,  from  temperance  to  judgment 
to  come,  we  heard  his  husky  voice  and  saw  his  strong, 
ungainly  features,  with  his  stretched  arm  and  extended 
fingers ;  but  they  were  all  lost  sight  of  again,  as  with  a 
sweep  of  his  strained  arm,  and  half  shut  hand  and 
laboring  chest,  he  made  us  see  his  mental  visions,  and 
feel  the  truth  his  struggling  lungs  announced.  Felix 
trembled  before  us.  *  *  *  WTg  heard  him  say, 
*Go  thy  way  for  this  time.'  *  *  *  Suddenly  the 
scene  changed,  as  with  the  motion  of  his  hand.  We 
ceased  to  be  spectators ;  we  were  now  actors.  He  was 
addressing  us  like  Paul,  and  we,  like  Felix,  were  trem- 
bling on  the  brink  of  decision.  *  *  *  jje  paused 
a  moment  and  then  bade  us  cry  out  to  the  King  of 
Kings  for  pardon  and  for  life.  Pointing  up,  with  a 
voice  sinking  under  weariness  and  emotion,  he  cried 
out,  'O,  thou  recording  angel!  dip  thy  pen  in  the 
blood  of  the  everlasting  covenant  and  beneath  this  rec- 
ord of  sins  and  transgressions,  write,  forgiveness !'  The 
book  of  remembrance  seemed  open  in  the  ceiling  and  by 
it  stood  the  angel  as  about  to  write,  with  his  pen  bloody 
from  the  fount  of  Calvary,  on  the  dark  leaves.  The 
silence  was  awful.  Bursting  hearts  were  ready  to  cry, 
*%vrite  mine.'  The  vision  grew  dim;  we  turned  to  the 
speaker;  he  had  disappeared.     But  the  deep  impression 


198  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

remained.  The  name  of  the  man  was  connected  with 
the  subject;  probably  no  one  that  heard  that  sermon 
ever  forgot  either  the  man  or  the  subject." 

Four  years  after  the  meeting  of  the  synod  at  Fred- 
ericksburg, Moses  Hoge  passed  away  from  the  earth 
(1820)  leaving  behind  upon  the  hearts  of  those  who 
knew  him  the  impression  that  he  was  "the  wisest  and 
meekest  of  men."  Then  in  1826,  John  Blair  Hoge's 
brief  labors  came  to  an  end  and  he  entered  into  rest. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

MOSES  WADDEL  AND  THE  WILLINGTON  ACADEMY  IN 
SOUTH  CAROLINA. 

One  morning  in  the  late  autumn  of  the  year  1794,  a 
Presbyterian  preacher  left  the  Georgia  side  of  the 
Savannah  River  and  crossed  over  to  South  Carolina. 
He  was  of  low  stature  and  had  a  boyish  face,  for  he 
was  only  twenty-four  years  of  age.  He  rode  to  a 
schoolhouse  that  stood  in  the  Calhoun  Settlement,  on 
Long  Cane  Creek,  in  Abbeville  District,  and  found  as- 
sembled there  a  company  of  Scotch-Irish  people.  When 
he  arose  to  speak,  the  congregation  was  surprised  to 
hear  a  deep-toned,  musical  voice.  The  preacher's  calm, 
gray  eyes  looked  straight  into  their  eyes  and  his  ear- 
nest, rapid  talking  caught  their  attention.  When  the 
sermon  was  ended,  Patrick  Calhoun,  patriarch  of  the 
community  and  elder  in  the  neighboring  church,  led 
the  minister  to  his  home.  While  they  were  seated,  that 
evening,  around  the  wide,  old-fashioned  fire-place  in 
the  Calhoun  home,  the  door  was  opened  and  a  youthful 
face  looked  in,  but  was  at  once  withdrawn.  The  face 
belonged  to  John  Caldwell  Calhoun,  Patrick  Calhoun's 
son,  who  afterwards  became  South  Carolina's  great 
statesman.  A  year  later,  the  young  minister,  whose 
name  was  Moses  Waddel,  married  Catharine  Calhoun, 
sister  of  John  C.  Calhoun,  and  took  her  to  his  home 
beyond  the  Savannah.  There,  in  Georgia,  Waddel  was 
preaching  the  gospel  and  teaching  Latin  and  Greek  to 
a  group  of  schoolboys. 

Moses  Waddel  was  born  (1770)  in  Iredell  County, 
North  Carolina.  His  parents  were  Scots  from  North 
Ireland.     Soon  after  Moses  completed  his  eighth  year 

199 


200  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

he  went  to  James  Hall's  school  and  began  to  study 
Latin.  After  six  years  of  work,  he  finished  the 
courses  of  study  in  Greek,  Latin  and  mathematics,  as 
far  as  these  subjects  were  taught  in  the  school.  Then 
he  took  charge  of  various  schools  in  North  Carolina 
and  Georgia  until  the  year  1789,  when  he  gave  his 
heart  to  Christ.  After  a  long  struggle  within  his  own 
breast,  young  Waddel  determined  to  become  a  preacher. 
In  the  autumn  of  1790,  therefore,  he  mounted  his  horse 
and  made  the  long  journey  from  Georgia  to  Virginia. 
In  the  month  of  September  in  that  year  he  began  a 
course  of  study  at  Hampden  Sidney  College.  A  little 
more  than  a  year  later  he  left  the  college,  and  in 
May,  1772,  was  licensed  by  Hanover  Presbytery  to 
preach  the  gospel.  The  year  1794  found  him  estab- 
lished as  pastor  of  Carmel  Church,  south  of  the  Sa- 
vannah. At  the  same  time  he  organized  a  school  in 
Columbia  County,  Georgia.  Near  the  close  of  that 
year  he  crossed  the  Savannah,  as  we  have  seen,  and 
there  met  Catharine  Calhoun,  who  became  his  wife 
and  his  helper  in  the  Georgia  school.  In  1801 
Waddel  moved  his  home  to  Abbeville  District,  South 
Carolina,  and  there  opened  his  school  in  the  village  of 
Vienna.  A  little  later,  however,  he  selected  a  site  upon 
a  ridge  near  the  Calhoun  Settlement.  There,  among 
oak  and  hickory  trees,  he  erected  a  log  house  and  called 
it  Willington  Academy.  Log  cabins  for  the  students 
were  put  up  near  the  main  building.  For  a  long  period 
of  time,  as  many  as  one  hundred  and  eighty  students 
came  each  year  to  receive  instruction  from  this  won- 
derful teacher,  Moses  Waddel. 

The  food  furnished  to  the  students  in  Waddel's  log 
college  was  plain,  for  it  was  usually  nothing  more  than 
cornbread  and  bacon.  A  blast  from  a  ram's  horn 
called  them  all  together  for  morning  and  evening  pray- 
ers. When  the  weather  was  mild  the  students  sat  or 
lay   beneath  the  trees   to  prepare  their  lessons.      The 


Moses   Waddel  201 

sound  of  the  horn  told  the  class  in  Homer  when  to 
assemble,  and  all  of  the  members  of  it  rushed  at  once 
to  the  recitation  hall  in  the  main  building.  Then  the 
horn  called  up,  in  regular  order,  the  Cicero,  the  Ho- 
race and  the  Virgil  classes,  as  well  as  those  engaged 
in  the  study  of  mathematics  and  English. 

Waddel  had  a  clear  mind  and  a  strong  will.  He 
gave  his  pupils  an  admirable  training  in  all  of  their 
studies.  Moreover,  he  held  them  under  his  own  abso- 
lute control  through  strict  discipline.  The  master 
loved  each  pupil.  He  governed  them  with  love  and 
with  impartial  justice. 

A  large  company  of  ministers  received  their  entire 
training  in  Waddel's  school.  Of  these  we  may  name 
Richard  B.  Cater,  John  H.  Gray,  David  Humphreys, 
James  Gamble,  James  C.  Patterson  and  Thomas  D. 
Baird.  Some  famous  scholars  and  statesmen  also  were 
educated  in  this  log  college,  among  whom  were  William 
H.  Crawford,  Howell  Cobb  and  A.  B.  Longstreet,  of 
Georgia,  and  John  C.  Calhoun,  Hugh  S.  Legare,  James 
L.  Petigru,  George  McDuffie,  and  many  others,  of  South 
Carolina. 

The  Willington  school  building  was  also  a  church. 
Waddel  preached  every  Sunday  to  his  students  and  to 
the  people  of  the  community.  In  1809  these  worship- 
pers were  regularly  organized  as  a  Presbyterian 
Church.  A  revival  of  religion  took  place  there  and 
many  of  the  students  became  Christians. 

During  a  period  of  about  fifteen  years  Moses  Waddel 
kept  up  at  Willington  the  best  school  in  all  that  part 
of  our  country.  In  1819  he  w^ent  to  Athens,  Georgia, 
to  take  charge  of  the  University  of  Georgia  as  Presi- 
dent. He  was  then  the  most  famous  teacher  in  the  far 
South,  and  he  at  once  placed  this  school  upon  a  high 
plane  of  literary  excellence.  He  preached  the  gospel 
every  Sunday  to  the  body  of  students  assembled  in  the 
chapel.     He  conducted  the  university  as  a  Christian 


202  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

school  throughout  his  presidency  of  ten  years.  At  the 
close  of  the  year  1829  he  gave  up  the  heavy  work  at  the 
university  and  went  back  to  Willington.  The  academy 
was  opened  there  again  under  the  control  of  Waddel's 
son.  The  old  preacher  himself  spent  nearly  all  of  his 
closing  days  in  giving  to  the  people  of  that  region  the 
gospel  of  peace.    He  died  in  1840. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

JOSEPH    CALDWELL    AND    THE    UNIVEESITY    OF    NORTH 
CAROLINA. 

One  day  in  November,  1796,  at  Chapel  Hill,  in  North 
Carolina,  a  Presbyterian  preacher,  then  in  his  twenty- 
fourth  year,  began  to  teach  a  class  in  mathematics.  His 
name  was  Joseph  Caldwell.  He  was  a  native  of  New 
Jersey,  but  was  descended  from  Scotch-Irish  and  Hu- 
guenot ancestors.  The  course  of  study  at  Princeton 
College  was  completed  by  Caldwell  in  1791.  Then  in 
1796  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  in  the  autumn  of 
that  year,  rode  to  the  village  of  Chapel  Hill,  which  is  lo- 
cated twenty-eight  miles  from  Raleigh,  the  capital  of 
North  Carolina.  There  he  entered  upon  the  double 
work  involved  in  the  professorship  of  mathematics  and 
the  presidency  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina. 

Seven  years  before  this  time,  that  is,  in  December, 
1789,  the  legislature  appointed  forty  of  the  leading 
men  of  the  state  as  trustees  and  authorized  them  to  es- 
tablish a  state  university.  On  the  12th  of  October,  1793, 
the  cornerstone  of  the  first  university  building  was  laid 
at  Chapel  Hill  by  William  Richardson  Davie,  one  of 
the  trustees.  Samuel  E.  McCorkle,  pastor  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  near  Salisbury,  also  a  trustee,  spoke 
the  solemn  words  of  dedication :  "May  this  hill  be  for 
religion  as  the  ancient  hill  of  Zion,"  he  said;  "and  for 
literature  and  the  muses  may  it  surpass  the  ancient 
Parnassus."  Some  teaching  was  done  at  Chapel  Hill 
under  the  guidance  of  David  Ker,  a  minister  and  a 
teacher,  during  the  months  that  followed  the  placing 
of  the  cornerstone.  The  real  work  of  the  school  was 
begun  when  Joseph  Caldwell  called  upon  his  class  to 

203 


204  Southern  Preshyterian  Leaders 

recite  in  mathematics  in  November,  1796.  From  that 
time  until  his  death  in  January,  1835,  a  period  of 
nearly  forty  years  he  worked  without  ceasing  to 
build  up  the  institution.  Great  success  crowned  his 
labors,  for  Joseph  Caldwell  was  the  founder  of  the 
University  of  North  Carolina. 

Upper  North  Carolina  was,  at  that  time,  filled  with 
schools  of  high  grade,  all  of  them  under  the  management 
of  Presbyterian  ministers.  David  Caldwell's  academy  in 
Guilford  was  still  sending  out  well-trained  preachers. 
Samuel  McCorkle,  in  Thyatira  congregation,  near  Sal- 
isbury ;  James  Wallis,  in  the  Providence  congregation, 
near  Charlotte;  James  Hall,  in  Bethany  congregation, 
near  Statesville ;  John  Makemie  Wilson,  at  Rocky 
River  Church,  whose  school  was  opened  a  little  later 
and  sent  out  twenty-five  preachers  within  a  few  years ; 
John  Robinson,  in  Poplar  Tent  congregation,  and  at 
Fayetteville ;  Samuel  C.  Caldwell,  son  of  David  Caldwell, 
whose  school  began  later  in  Sugar  Creek  Congrega- 
tion— all  of  these  faithful  ministers  conducted  acade- 
mies as  a  part  of  their  regular  church  work.  In  1793, 
at  Chatham,  William  Bingham,  the  preacher,  estab- 
lished the  famous  Bingham  School,  which  has  continued 
to  do  its  work  until  the  present  time,  under  a  long  line 
of  Presbyterian  elders  of  the  Bingham  family.  There 
was  also  the  public  academy  at  Charlotte,  the  academy 
in  Duplin  County,  Science  Hall  near  Hillsboro,  War- 
renton  Academy,  Granville  Hall,  and  academies  in  the 
towns  of  Edenton,  Newbern  and  Onslow.  These  schools 
trained  the  people  of  North  Carolina  to  believe  that 
Christianity  must  fill  the  atmosphere  even  of  a  state 
school.  For  this  reason,  Joseph  Caldwell  preached 
the  gospel  every  Sunday  in  the  chapel  at  the  univer- 
sity, had  the  Bible  taught  in  the  school  itself  and 
opened  the  work  of  each  day  with  public  prayer  in 
presence  of  all  the  students. 

Caldwell  upheld  the  Christian  religion  as  a  necessary 


Joseph  Caldwell  205 

element  in  the  training  given  by  a  university.  William 
R.  Davie,  the  soldier  and  statesman,  had  fallen  away 
from  the  belief  in  the  Bible,  which  he  learned  in  the 
home  of  his  uncle,  William  Richardson,  of  the  Wax- 
haw  Church.  As  a  trustee  of  the  university,  Davie 
came  in  close  touch  with  President  Caldwell.  The  lat- 
ter engaged  Davie  in  discussion  about  the  Bible, 
pleaded  with  him  and,  probably,  won  him  to  a  saving 
faith  in  Christ. 

In  1833,  just  before  Caldwell's  death,  an  academy 
under  Presbyterian  church  control  was  founded  at 
Greensboro ;  later  it  was  removed  to  Hillsboro.  It  was 
named  Caldwell  Institute,  because  Caldwell  led  the  move- 
ment that  resulted  in  the  building  of  the  school.  "He 
strongly  urged  upon  his  brethren  a  return  to  the  old 
fashioned  discipline  and  studies  of  Presbyterian  classi- 
cal schools,  the  course  somewhat  enlarged.  He  de- 
clared it  was  not  sectarian  for  denominations  to  have 
denominational  schools ;  that  religion  must  be  taught 
by  somebody  and  in  classical  academies,  and  that  but 
one  denomination  could  be  engaged  in  a  single  school 
to  advantage." 

When  Caldwell  took  charge  of  the  North  Carolina 
University  there  were  many  men  throughout  our  country 
who  refused  to  accept  the  teachings  of  the  Bible  as  true. 
Caldwell  had  to  deal  with  some  of  these  unbelievers.  He 
stood  firm  always  in  the  defense  of  the  religion  of  his 
God.  "He  fought  a  great  battle  without  noise  and  gained 
a  great  victory  without  triumphing."  Daily  prayer  and 
worship  and  the  study  of  the  Bible  were  left  in  the 
university  as  parts  of  its  work,  after  Caldwell's  life  had 
ended. 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

FEESBYTERIANS  IN   KENTUCKY  AND   THE  REVIVAL  OF 
1800. 

In  the  summer  of  1783,  a,  written  invitation,  to  which 
three  hundred  names  were  signed,  came  from  the  land 
of  Kentucky  to  David  Rice,  This  minister  was  then 
the  shepherd  of  the  flock  that  lived  near  the  foot  of 
the  Peaks  of  Otter,  in  Virginia.  Rice  obeyed  the  call 
and,  in  October,  1783,  made  the  long  journey  west- 
ward through  a  gap  in  the  Cumberland  mountains.  He 
founded  churches  at  Danville  and  in  the  region  near 
that  place,  and  from  that  time  was  known  as  "Father 
Rice,"  the  patriarch  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Kentucky. 

Nearly  all  of  the  company  of  three  hundred  people 
who  urged  David  Rice  to  come  into  Kentucky,  had 
moved  into  that  fair  western  region  from  the  Valley  of 
Virginia.  Just  ten  years  before  Rice  accepted  the  call 
to  service,  that  is  in  1773,  the  first  real  homebuilders 
entered  Kentucky.  They  left  their  former  places  of 
abode  in  the  mountains  of  Virginia  and  started  west- 
ward under  the  leadership  of  Capt.  Thomas  Bullitt  and 
three  brothers  bearing  the  name  of  McAfee.  Bullitt 
laid  the  foundation  of  the  city  of  Louisville  and  the 
McAfees  settled  the  Salt  River  country.  In  1775,  Daniel 
Boone  and  Henderson  led  a  company  of  settlers  from 
North  Carolina  through  the  Cumberland  mountains. 
At  the  same  time  Benjamin  Logan  left  his  home  on 
the  Holston  River,  in  the  congregation  of  Charles  Cum- 
mings,  and  built  cabins  for  his  family  and  his  slaves 
near  Harrodsburg.  These  pioneers  were  followed  by 
a  continuous   stream  of  home  builders,  some  of  them 

206 


Presbyterians  in  Kentucky  207 

from  North  Carolina,  but  the  greater  part  from  Vir- 
ginia. Among  these  were  the  Todds,  Floyds,  Bow- 
mans,  Callaways,  Pattersons,  Mastersons,  McConnels, 
Lindseys,  Morrisons,  Flemings,  Barbours,  Triggs, 
Thompsons,  McDowells,  McKees,  Greens,  Brecken- 
ridges.  Browns,  Youngs,  and  many  others.  In  1776 
Kentucky  was  organized  as  a  county  of  Virginia.  In 
1783  courts  of  justice  were  established  and  David  Rice 
was  called  from  Bedford  County  to  establish  Presby- 
terian churches.  Many  Baptists  from  Eastern  Vir- 
ginia entered  Kentucky  before  the  arrival  of  Rice. 
About  one  year  after  the  journey  of  Rice — that  is, 
on  October  1,  1784,  a  number  of  families  left  their 
homes  in  Augusta  County,  Virginia,  and  started  to- 
ward Kentucky.  They  met,  according  to  agreement, 
in  the  town  of  Staunton.  Jane  Allen  Trimble,  wife  of 
Captain  James  Trimble,  was  a  member  of  the  party, 
and  wrote  an  account  of  the  journey.  She  tells  us  that 
on  the  previous  Sunday  she  attended  James  WaddelPs 
church  at  the  Tinkling  Spring,  and  heard  the  blind 
preacher  for  the  last  time,  as  she  then  supposed.  Wad- 
dell  "spoke  of  the  separation  of  parents  and  children, 
brothers  and  sisters,  friends  and  neighbors,  who  had 
been  united  in  sweetest  bonds  of  fellowship,  in  such  a 
pathetic  strain  as  to  make  all  eyes  fill  with  tears." 

All  of  the  grown  members  of  the  party,  says  Mrs. 
Trimble,  "rode  upon  horses,  and  upon  other  horses 
were  placed  the  farming  and  cooking  utensils,  beds 
and  bedding,  wearing  apparel,  provisions,  and  last, 
but  not  least,  the  libraries,  consisting  of  two  Bibles, 
half  a  dozen  Testaments,  the  Catechism,  the  Con- 
fession of  Faith  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
the  Psalms  of  David.  Each  man  and  boy  carried 
his  rifle  and  ammunition,  and  each  woman  her  pis- 
tol." Mrs.  Trimble  carried  one  young  child  in  her 
lap,  while  another,  a  boy  three  years  of  age,  was  placed 
on  the  horse  behind    his    mother.       This    boy,    Allen 


208  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

Trimble,  was  afterwards  governor  of  Ohio.  By  the 
time  the  party  reached  the  Holston  River,  in  South- 
west Virginia,  they  had  increased  to  three  hundred  per- 
sons. A  little  farther  on  the  way  westward  "they  were 
joined  by  two  hundred  more  from  Carolina.  Three- 
fourths  of  these  were  women  and  children."  In  this 
and  in  later  companies  a  great  multitude  of  Aliens, 
Trimbles,  Bells,  Montgomerys,  Glasses,  Moffetts,  Rob- 
ertsons, and  other  Scots  from  the  western  parts  of  Vir- 
ginia passed  into  Kentucky.  The  year  1790  found 
75,000  people  in  this  region,  and  in  1792  Kentucky 
was  admitted  as  a  state  of  the  Federal  Union.  Many 
of  her  leaders  in  establishing  a  permanent  form  of  gov- 
ernment were  Presbyterians.  The  president  of  the  con- 
vention which  framed  the  first  constitution  of  Kentucky 
was  Samuel  McDowell,  grandson  of  Ephraim  McDow- 
ell, of  Rockbridge  County,  Virginia.  John,  Levi  and 
Thomas  Todd,  kinsmen  of  the  minister,  John  Todd,  of 
Louisa  County,  Virginia,  helped  to  start  the  new  gov- 
ernment in  Kentucky.  The  first  governor  of  the  state 
was  Isaac  Shelby,  the  Presbyterian  elder  from  the  Ten- 
nessee country.  Shelby's  secretary  of  state  was  James 
Brown,  son  of  Rev.  John  Brown,  pastor  of  Timber 
Ridga  and  New  Providence  Churches,  in  Rockbridge 
County,  Virginia.  John  Brown,  brother  of  James,  and 
eldest  son  of  the  preacher  of  Rockbridge,  was  elected 
one  of  Kentucky's  first  United  States  Senators.  The 
first  speaker  of  the  State  senate  was  Alexander  Scott 
Bullitt,  and  the  speaker  of  the  house  was  Robert  Breck- 
inridge, who  went  to  Kentucky  from  Botetourt  County, 
Virginia.  One  of  the  three  judges  of  the  first  supreme 
court  of  Kentucky  was  Caleb  Wallace,  from  Virginia, 
who  had  given  up  the  work  of  preaching  to  become  a 
lawyer. 

On  November  10,  1783,  a  small  company  of  men 
met  at  Crow's  Station,  now  known  as  Danville.  They 
were  David  Rice,  Caleb  Wallace,  Isaac  Shelby,  James 


Presbyterians  in  Kentucky  209 

Speed,  Samuel  McDowell,  Robert  Johnson,  Christo- 
pher Greenup,  Willis  Green,  Walker  Daniel  and  John 
(^raig.  They  formed  the  board  of  trustees  of  The 
Transylvania  Seminary,  to  which  the  legislature  of 
Virginia  had  given  20,000  acres  of  land.  David  Rice 
was  elected  chairman  of  the  board,  and  two  years  later 
the  work  of  the  seminary  began  in  the  house  of  Rice, 
near  Danville,  This  was  the  first  school  taught  in 
Kentucky.  It  was  removed  to  the  town  of  Lexington, 
and  in  1798  was  organized  as  The  Transylvania  Uni- 
versity. Since  the  Presbyterians  had  collected  the  sum 
of  ten  thousand  dollars  and  a  library  for  the  school,  it 
was  provided  in  the  charter  that  a  majority  of  the 
twenty-one  trustees  of  the  university  should  be  Pres- 
byterians. The  Presbyterian  members  of  the  board 
did  not  exercise  due  wisdom  and  foresight  to  retain  this 
control,  however,  and  twenty  years  later — that  is,  in 
1818 — there  were  only  seven  Presbyterian  trustees  on 
the  board.  "As  vacancies  occurred  from  time  to  time, 
they  were  filled  not  by  devout  persons  of  the  same  or 
like  faith,  but  by  prominent  political  characters  whose 
popularity  and  influence  would,  it  was  hoped,  reflect  a 
sort  of  eclat  upon  the  College."  A  crisis  came  and  the 
Presbyterians  were  in  a  minority. 

While  the  seven  were  struggling  to  regain  their  legal 
rights,  the  legislature  of  Kentucky  deposed  the  entire 
old  board  and  appointed  new  trustees.  These  placed 
a  man  of  Unitarian  beliefs  at  the  head  of  the  univer- 
sity, and  thus  it  passed  from  the  hands  of  those  who 
had  founded  and  built  it  up. 

After  losing  their  first  school,  the  Presbyterians 
bent  every  energy  toward  the  establishment  of  another. 
A  charter  was  secured  at  once  (1819)  and  a  church 
college  was  planted  at  Danville,  to  which  the  name  of 
Center  College  was  afterwards  given.  With  such  min- 
isters in  charge  of  it  as  Jeremiah  Chamberlain,  Gideon 
Blackburn,  John  C.  Young,  Lewis  W.  Green  and  Wil- 


210  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

liam  L.  Breckinridge,  Center  College  entered  upon  a 
great  work  in  behalf  of  religion  and  good  government 
in  the  West  and  Southwest. 

Near  the  close  of  the  year  1796,  James  McGreadj 
went  from  North  Carolina  to  Kentucky  and  became 
pastor  of  congregations  in  the  southern  part  of  that 
state.  He  w^as  then  about  thirty-three  years  of  age; 
his  preaching  was  earnest  and  marked  by  passionate 
appeals  to  his  hearers  on  the  subjects  of  regeneration, 
faith  and  repentance.  "If  I  were  converted  would  I 
feel  it,  and  know  it?"  This  question  was  often  asked 
by  members  of  McGready's  flocks.  In  1799  there  was 
much  excitement  in  his  churches,  but  in  July,  1800,  a 
great  revival  began  at  Red  River.  Camp-meetings 
were  held  at  the  various  churches  on  the  Green  and 
Cumberland  rivers  and  farther  south,  also,  in  Tennes- 
see. Those  who  became  spiritually  aroused  at  first 
manifested  their  emotions  by  loud  cries  and  lamenta- 
tions. Then,  as  if  overcome  by  their  feelings,  some  fell 
to  the  ground.  After  lying  there  for  a  time,  appar- 
ently insensible,  they  arose  with  great  rejoicing.  In 
August,  1801,  a  great  throng  of  about  20,000  people 
was  assembled  in  an  encampment  at  Cane  Ridge,  near 
the  town  of  Paris.  During  the  preaching  and  the  sing- 
ing, sudden  spasms  seized  upon  many  and  dashed  them 
to  the  ground.  It  was  claimed  by  some  that  about 
3,000  persons  were  thus  overcome  during  this  series 
of  services.  As  the  revival  movement  spread,  men  and 
women  began  to  act  in  the  strangest  and  wildest  man- 
ner. Some  of  them  ran,  some  danced,  some  rolled  over 
and  over  on  the  ground,  and  some  of  them  barked  like 
dogs.  A  number  of  persons  went  through  such  strange 
bodily  motions  that  they  were  said  to  have  the  "jerks." 
In  spite  of  these  extravagant  actions,  a  large  number 
of  genuine  conversions  took  place.  The  Spirit  of  God 
was  evidently  touching  the  hearts  of  the  people.  The 
revival  continued  throughout  the  years  1800-1804,  and 


Presbyterians  in  Kentuclvy  211 

hundreds  were  brought  into  the  churches  of  Kentucky, 
Tennessee,  North  and  South  Carolina  and  Virginia. 

This  remarkable  outburst  of  religious  enthusiasm  led 
to  the  formation  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
Church.  In  October,  1802,  the  Synod  of  Kentucky  was 
organized  at  Lexington.  Then  the  Cumberland  Pres- 
bytery was  organized  in  the  southern  part  of  Ken- 
tucky, where  McGready's  revival  began.  This  pres- 
bytery licensed  and  ordained  a  number  of  men  who 
were  without  education;  nor  did  this  presbytery  re- 
quire new  ministers  to  subscribe  the  Westminster 
Confession,  but  openly  rejected  some  of  the  funda- 
mental doctrines  of  Calvinism.  The  Synod  of  Ken- 
tuck}'  sent  a  large  commission  to  deal  with  the  presby- 
tery (1805).  The  presbytery  refused  to  submit  to  the 
authority  of  synod's  commission,  and  the  latter  sus- 
pended the  presbytery.  Thus  began  the  career  of  an 
independent  body  of  Presbyterians  who  held,  for  the 
most  part,  Arminian  doctrines. 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

JOHN   HOLT  RICE  AND  THE  ORGANIZATION    OF   UNION 
THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY   IN    VIRGINIA. 

The  war  of  the  Revolution  was  in  progress  when 
John  Holt  Rice  was  born  (1777).  His  early  years 
were  spent  upon  a  farm  near  the  Peaks  of  Otter,  in 
Virginia.  During  childhood  a  long  and  wasting  sick- 
ness came  upon  him,  and  at  one  time  it  was  supposed 
that  he  would  die;  his  life  was  spared,  however,  as  his 
relatives  thought,  in  order  that  he  might  do  some  great 
and  good  work.  His  mind  was  so  active  that  when  he 
reached  the  age  of  four  years  he  was  a  good  reader, 
and  often  sat  at  his  mother's  knee  and  read  aloud  to 
her  from  the  Bible  and  hymn  book.  His  father  was  so 
greatly  pleased  at  the  child's  skill  in  reading  that  he 
said:  "That  boy  shall  have  a  good  education."  The 
father  was  a  nephew  of  David  Rice,  the  apostle  of 
Kentuck3\ 

At  the  age  of  eight  years,  young  Rice  began  the 
stud}^  of  Latin.  He  did  not  receive  much  instruction 
from  teachers,  howeA-er,  and  his  progress  in  systematic 
study  was  slow.  But  a  great  thirst  for  knowledge  filled 
him,  and  he  read  all  of  the  books  that  he  could  get  into 
his  hands.  He  often  read  a  borrowed  book  or  studied 
his  regular  Latin  lesson  by  the  light  of  a  rich  pine  knot 
burning  on  the  hearthstone  of  his  father's  home.  He 
tells  us  that  he  would  throw  himself  at  full  length  upon 
the  floor  of  the  old  farmhouse,  drawing  nearer  as  the 
flame  of  the  pine  knot  wasted  awa}^  "and  finally  thrust- 
ing my  head  into  the  very  ashes,"  he  declares,  "to  catch 
the  last  gleam  of  light." 

Rice  was  a  student  under  William  Graham  at  Lib- 

212 


JOHN  HOLT  RICE 


Facing  page  212 


John  Holt  Rice  213 

crty  Hall  Academy  for  a  little  less  than  two  years. 
Then  he  spent  a  year  in  the  New  London  Academy 
under  the  guidance  of  its  principal,  George  A.  Baxter. 
After  that  more  than  a  year  was  given  to  the  work  of 
teaching  in  a  private  family  at  Malvern  Hill,  on  tile 
James  River,  below  Richmond.  In  December,  1796,  he 
was  appointed  as  tutor  in  Hampden  Sidney  College, 
and  there  came  into  close  friendly  relationship  with 
President  Archibald  Alexander.  During  all  of  this 
period  of  academic  study  and  teaching  Rice  was  de- 
vouring every  book  that  he  could  find.  At  the  same 
time  he  was  writing,  writing  constantly,  setting  forth 
in  his  own  words  and  in  his  own  style  the  substance  of 
that  which  he  had  read.  Thus  he  was  training  himself 
in  the  art  of  writing  clear,  strong  English. 

"The  years  these  young  men  [Archibald  Alexander 
and  John  Holt  Rice]  passed  at  Hampden  Sidney  were 
years  of  vast  improvement,"  wrote  William  H.  Foote. 
"The  college  gained  in  numbers  and  in  reputation ;  the 
trustees  gained  confidence ;  the  public  gained  in  their 
educated  sons ;  and  the  church  gained  gems,  the  value 
of  which  she  could  not  know,  and  does  not  now,  after 
more  than  half  a  century,  fully  estimate.  In  the  spring 
of  1797  the  college  classes  all  commenced  anew.  The 
talents  of  the  3'oung  men  [Alexander  and  Rice]  for  in- 
struction, discipline,  arrangement  of  classes  and  the 
course  of  college  studies,  were  fully  exercised.  The  col- 
lege began,  went  on  enlarging,  unfolding,  improving,  ad- 
vancing. The  salaries  were  small,  the  labors  great,  and 
the  trials  many.  If  the  students  were  few,  the  salary 
of  the  teachers  was,  of  course,  small;  if  numerous,  still 
it  was  limited  to  a  very  moderate  amount.  But  their 
own  mental  improvement  was  incalculable.  When  they 
left  the  college,  as  both  did  in  about  nine  years,  they 
were  worthy  of  the  positions  they  occupied,  and  were 
prepared  for  any  exertions  the  church  might  demand. 
From  preparing  boys  for  college  studies,  and  arrang- 


214  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

ing  the  upper  classes,  and  educating  youth  for  the 
various  departments  of  life,  both  went  to  arrange  the- 
ological seminaries  [Princeton  and  Union]  and  pre- 
pare ministers  of  the  gospel  of  Christ." 

For  a  little  more  than  a  year  Rice  gave  up  his  work 
as  teacher  and  spent  his  time  in  reading  books  about 
the  practice  of  medicine.  He  made  up  his  mind  that  he 
would  become  a  doctor.  His  friends  persuaded  him, 
however,  to  take  up  again  the  task  of  teaching  at 
Hampden  Sidney.  He  returned  to  that  school  in  the 
fall  of  1800,  and  soon  afterwards  decided  to  become 
a  preacher.  In  July,  1802,  John  H.  Rice  and  Ann 
Smith  Morton,  daughter  of  Major  Morton,  were  united 
in  marriage.  In  September,  1803,  Rice  was  licensed  to 
preach  the  gospel,  and  in  the  following  April  (1804) 
he  became  shepherd  of  the  flock  at  Cub  Creek,  in  Char- 
lotte County. 

In  early  life  Rice  drew  a  small  circle  of  intimate 
friends  close  to  his  heart.  In  later  years,  his  sympa- 
thies became  strong  and  wide-reaching.  "There  was  in 
him,"  said  his  friend,  Conrad  Speece,  "a  vein  of  dry, 
playful  humor,  which  made  his  conversation  very  pleas- 
ant to  all  companies  which  he  frequented."  Archibald 
Alexander  said  that  Rice  had  great  moral  courage. 
"He  knew  how  to  exercise  that  species  of  self-denial, 
so  difficult  to  most  young  men,  of  suspending  his  judg- 
ment on  any  subject  until  he  should  have  the  opportu- 
nity of  contemplating  it  in  all  its  relations.  'He  was 
swift  to  hear  and  slow  to  speak.'  " 

A  small  salary  was  paid  by  Rice's  congregation. 
He  worked  a  farm,  therefore,  and  taught  school  five 
days  in  the  week  in  order  to  gain  a  support.  Many 
negro  slaves  were  members  of  his  congregation.  To 
these  he  preached  regularly,  taught  them  to  read  and 
trained  them  in  the  study  of  the  catechism.  The 
preacher  and  pastor  made  for  himself  a  place  in  the 
hearts  of  all  of  his  people.     Then  in  May,  1812,  he 


John  Holt  Rice  215 

went  to  Richmond  to  become  the  first  pastor  of  the  first 
Presbyterian  congregation  organized  in  the  capital  city 
of  Virginia. 

Before  this  time,  John  D.  Blair  had  been  preaching 
twice  a  month  in  the  capitol  building  in  Richmond.  On 
the  alternate  Sundays  Mr.  Buchanan,  an  Episcopal 
clergyman,  preached  in  the  capitol.  Mr.  Blair  sus- 
tained himself  by  teaching  a  classical  school.  When 
Rice  came  he  preached  at  first  in  the  Masons'  Hall. 
Large  crowds  came  to  hear  him.  On  June  12,  a  Pres- 
byterian church  was  organized  and  steps  were  taken  to 
build  a  house  of  worship.  In  May,  1813,  Dr.  Rice 
organized  the  Virginia  Bible  Society,  which  continues 
to  this  day  the  beneficent  work  of  distributing  Bibles 
among  the  poor. 

Rice  was  poor  himself.  The  church,  at  first,  con- 
sisted of  only  sixty  members,  and  the  small  salary 
promised  to  the  pastor  was  not  paid  with  promptness. 
On  one  occasion,  the  only  article  of  food  in  the  minis- 
ter's house  was  a  bag  of  black-eyed  peas.  There  was 
no  bacon  to  be  used  in  giving  the  peas  the  proper  flavor 
and  Rice  had  not  a  cent  of  money.  Mrs.  Rice  decided 
to  sell  their  mahogany  dining-table  in  order  to  supply 
the  necessity  of  the  hour.  "I  trust,  my  dear,  the  Lord 
will  provide,"  said  the  husband  with  a  smile,  as  he 
turned  toward  his  study.  Just  then  a  knock  was  heard 
and  a  servant  was  found  standing  at  the  door  with  an 
ample  supply  of  food  sent  by  a  friend  who  lived  in  the 
country  near  Richmond. 

This  straitened  manner  of  living  did  not  continue 
for  a  long  period  of  time.  The  church  was  multiplied 
in  numbers,  and  in  1816  people  and  pastor  entered  into 
their  own  house  of  worship.  At  a  later  time,  the  First 
Church  of  Richmond  was  built  upon  the  spot  where  the 
handsome  City  Hall  is  now  located ;  later  still,  the  church 
was  removed  to  its  present  position  on  Grace  Street. 

In  July,  1815,  Rice  began  to  issue  in  Richmond  an 


216  Southern  Preshytertan  Leaders 

eight-page  magazine  called  The  Christian  Monitor.  A 
year  later  it  was  doubled  in  size,  and  issued  twice  a 
month.  Another  change  was  made  in  January,  1818, 
when  Rice  began  to  publish  a  monthly  named  The  Vir- 
ginia Evangelical  and  Literary  Magazine.  This  pe- 
riodical was  continued  for  a  period  of  ten  years,  and 
through  its  pages  Rice  wrought  a  great  work  in  mould- 
ing the  religious  sentiment  of  Virginia  and  the  South. 
When  it  was  proposed,  in  1819,  to  elect  Dr.  Thomas 
Cooper,  an  Englishman,  as  teacher  at  the  University 
of  Virginia,  Dr.  Rice  published  an  article  in  opposition 
to  the  plan.  Cooper  was  an  infidel,  and  Rice  pointed 
out  the  danger  of  selecting  him  as  a  teacher  of  youth. 
Rice's  opinion  prevailed,  and  Cooper  was  not  given  the 
place.  Afterwards  Cooper  became  president  of  the 
South  Carolina  College,  but  after  a  few  years  the 
people  of  that  state  forced  him  to  withdraw  from  the 
position.  In  1820,  as  we  have  seen,  Moses  Hoge  died 
and  left  vacant  two  fields  of  work — the  presidency  of 
Hampden  Sidney  College  and  the  professorship  of  the- 
ology. Two  years  later  (1822)  Dr.  Rice  was  called 
by  the  Hanover  Presbytery  to  the  work  of  giving  reg- 
ular instruction  to  young  men  who  were  preparing 
themselves  to  preach  the  gospel.  A  few  words  in  re- 
view are  now  necessary  in  order  that  we  may  see  how 
the  Union  Seminary  was  founded. 

The  first  definite  step  toward  the  establishment  of  a 
Theological  Seminary  in  the  American  Presbyterian 
Church  was  taken  in  1789.  This  was  the  formation  of 
a  class  of  seven  or  eight  young  men  who  entered  upon 
a  systematic  course  of  study  in  theology  at  Liberty 
Hall  Academy,  in  Virginia,  under  the  instruction  of  the 
Rector,  William  Graham.  Two  years  later  (1791)  the 
Synod  of  Virginia  determined  to  establish  two  semi- 
naries for  the  training  of  preachers,  one  in  Virginia  and 
the  other  in  Western  Pennsylvania.  The  synod  then 
entered  into  a  written  agreement  with  the  trustees  of 


John  Holt  Rice  217 

Liberty  Hall  Academy,  as  we  have  seen,  whereby  Gra- 
ham was  appointed  to  give  regular,  systematic  instruc- 
tion in  theology.  In  accordance  with  this  agreement 
two  of  the  presbyteries  of  the  synod — the  Hanover  and 
Lexington  presbyteries — raised  money  to  erect  a  stone 
building  for  the  use  of  the  Academy.  At  the  same  time 
the  synod  determined  to  raise  a  fund  for  the  mainte- 
nance of  a  permanent  system  of  theological  training. 
The  second  step  in  the  development  of  the  Seminary 
was  the  establishment  of  a  special  endowment  fund  by 
Hanover  Presbytery.  In  1795  this  body  determined 
to  retain  control  of  the  money  raised  within  its  bor- 
ders for  this  special  purpose.  Money  was  collected, 
and  in  October,  1797,  the  presbytery  adopted  a  plan, 
draAvn  up  by  Archibald  Alexander,  for  the  education 
of  ministers  of  the  gospel.  The  chief  part  of  this  plan 
dealt  with  the  collection  of  the  necessary  funds.  In 
April,  1806,  the  presbytery  appointed  a  committee  to 
ask  the  people  to  give  money  for  the  purpose  of  estab- 
lishing a  Theological  Seminary  and  School  at  Hampden- 
Sidney  College.  William  Graham  had  passed  away 
and  the  presbytery  evidently  wished  to  make  Archibald 
Alexander,  president  of  Hampden  Sidney,  their  in- 
structor in  theology.  John  H.  Rice  was  sent  out  among 
the  churches  of  the  presbytery  to  ask  for  contributions. 
A  considerable  sum  was  secured.  Then  in  the  fall  of 
1806  Alexander  went  to  Philadelphia.  Early  in  1807 
Hoge  was  made  president  of  Hampden  Sidney.  Then, 
in  1808,  Dr.  Hoge  was  chosen  as  the  presbytery's 
"teacher  of  theology  in  the  theological  school."  A  part 
of  the  interest  received  from  the  presbytery's  fund  was 
used  for  the  support  of  the  theological  teacher.  This 
appointment  of  president  Hoge,  in  1808,  as  the  presby- 
tery's instructor  of  gospel  ministers  may  be  regarded 
as  a  third  and  decisive  step  in  the  work  of  founding  a 
Seminary.  From  this  time  onward  there  was,  in  fact, 
a  permanent  theological  seminary  in  Virginia. 


218  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

In  1812  the  Presbyterian  General  Assembly  establish- 
ed a  Seminar}'^  at  Princeton.  Two  months  after  the  in- 
auguration of  Archibald  Alexander  at  Princeton,  the 
Virginia  Synod  determined  to  have  a  Seminary  under  its 
own  control  and  patronage.  The  synod  adopted  the 
school  already  founded  by  Hanover  Presbytery.  Lexing- 
ton, in  the  Valley,  was  selected  as  "the  permanent  seat, 
and  Hampden-Sidney  the  temporary  seat  of  the  institu- 
tion." This  was  intended  to  carry  out  the  agreement, 
made  in  1791-93,  with  the  trustees  of  Liberty  Hall 
Academy.  Moses  Hoge,  already  at  work  as  the  presby- 
tery's teacher,  was  elected,  also,  as  the  synod's  professor 
of  theology.  Three  years  later  (1815)  the  plan  of  re- 
moving the  Seminary  to  Lexington  was  given  up,  for 
the  reason  that  the  friends  of  Hampden  Sidney  were 
raising  more  money  for  theological  instruction.  In 
1822  the  synod  transferred  to  Hanover  Presbytery  the 
management  of  the  Theological  Seminary,  together 
with  the  sum  of  about  ten  thousand  dollars,  which 
formed  the  endowment  of  the  school.  The  presbytery 
accepted  the  trust  and  called  John  H.  Rice  to  undertake 
the  work  laid  down  by  Moses  Hoge. 

Two  calls  came  to  Dr.  Rice  in  the  fall  of  1822;  one 
was  the  invitation  of  the  presbytery  to  give  all  of  his 
time  to  the  work  of  teaching  theology.  The  other, 
his  election  as  president  of  Princeton  College.  "We 
need  your  services  to  build  up  our  failing  institution ; 
to  elevate  Nassau  Hall  to  that  rank  among  sister  col- 
leges which  it  formerly  sustained."  This  was  the  urgent 
appeal  from  Princeton.  Severe  sickness  seized  Dr.  Rice 
and  held  him  in  its  grasp  for  many  weary  weeks.  He 
was  feverish  and  restless.  A  great  burden  was  evidently 
resting  upon  his  heart.  "Dear  old  Virginia!  Rich- 
mond and  the  dear  people  there !  Oh  God  !  Oh  God !  for 
life  and  health  to  labor  and  glorify  thee !  O  for  health 
and  strength  to  do  something  for  old  Virginia.  A 
theological  school — we  must  have  a  theological  school. 


John  Holt  Rice  219 

Where  docs  duty  call?"  These  broken  prayers  and  ex- 
clamations gave  some  sign  as  to  the  direction  in  which 
his  inclinations  were  tending.  In  the  spring  of  1823, 
when  health  had  returned,  he  declined  the  call  to  Prince- 
ton. Then,  "with  deep  anguish  of  spirit,"  he  separated 
himself  from  his  flock  in  Richmond  and  went  to  Hamp- 
den Sidney.  He  was  inaugurated  as  professor  of  the- 
ology on  January  1,  1824.  Only  three  students  were 
present  to  begin  the  course  of  study.  Work  was  begun 
upon  a  seminary  building,  and  in  the  fall  of  1825  Dr. 
Rice  moved  into  it.  More  money  was  secured  and  stu- 
dents came  in  increasing  numbers.  In  June,  1825, 
Archibald  Alexander  came  from  Princeton  and  made  his 
famous  preaching  tour  among  the  churches  of  Vir- 
ginia. He  exerted  all  of  his  powers  to  persuade  the 
Virginia  people  to  endow  their  seminary.  Money  was 
secured  from  churches  in  North  Carolina  and  some 
from  friends  north  of  the  Potomac  River.  In  the  au- 
tumn of  1826  the  money  and  property  of  the  seminary 
were  eqfial  in  value  to  the  sum  of  fifty  thousand  dollars. 
The  Hanover  Presbytery  then  asked  the  synods  of  Vir- 
ginia and  North  Carolina  to  take  control  of  the  school. 
They  both  consented  (1826).  The  seminary  was  named 
Union  Seminary,  as  a  mark  of  the  co-operation  of  the 
two  synods  in  its  management.  In  Ma}',  1827,  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  approved  and  ratified  the  plan  of  union. 
In  June,  1827,  Dr.  Rice  wrote  to  a  friend  as  fol- 
lows :  "During  the  last  year,  the  pressure  on  me  was 
so  heavy  that  for  five  months  I  had  a  continual  head- 
ache and  my  nerves  became  so  irritable  that  the  click 
of  a  penknife  or  the  scratching  of  a  stiff  pen  on  paper, 
after  an  hour's  confinement,  was  just  like  a  strong 
shock  of  electricity  through  my  brain,  I  may  say  that 
half  of  my  time  was  spent  in  torture.  I  felt  that  I  must 
either  give  up  this  great  enterprise  in  which  I  am  en- 
gaged for  the  South,  or  sink  under  the  load  which  was 
pressing  on  me.     The  Lord,  just  at  that  time,  put  it 


220  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

into  the  hearts  of  a  few  of  my  beloved  friends  in  New 
York  to  raise  a  fund  to  support  a  young  man  who 
should  assist  me." 

More  than  this,  Dr.  Rice  had  used,  for  the  mainte- 
nance of  his  printing  press,  all  of  the  money  received 
from  the  sale  of  his  little  farm  in  Charlotte  County. 
Without  money  of  his  own  and  with  less  than  half 
the  necessary  amount  in  the  treasury  to  keep  the  Sem- 
inary in  operation,  he  went  out  among  the  Presbyte- 
rians to  ask  for  help.  "The  work  I  am  in  is  painful. 
It  is  extremely  laborious ;  it  excites  the  feelings  and 
exhausts  them,  of  course,  more  than  preaching  or 
study."  And,  yet,  onward  he  moved  in  the  work. 
Friends  in  Philadelphia,  New  York  and  Boston  were 
generous,  and  in  1829  the  seminary  buildings  were 
made  larger  and  the  force  of  teachers  was  increased.  A 
recent  revival  of  religion  had  stirred  the  hearts  of  the 
Virginia  people  and  a  larger  body  of  students  came  to 
sit  at  Rice's  feet.  The  seminary  was  upon  safe  and 
permanent  foundations,  but  the  life  of  John  Holt  Rice 
was  drawing  near  the  end.  Much  of  the  strength  of  his 
life  had  been  yielded  up  to  the  work  of  building  the 
school  of  the  prophets. 

"Too  much  to  do,"  he  wrote  concerning  himself  in 
March,  1830.  He  spoke,  at  the  same  time,  about  a  slow 
fever  tliat  had  begun  to  consume  him,  yet  he  went 
into  the  field  for  money  to  strengthen  the  school.  In  De- 
cember, 1830,  he  betook  himself  to  his  chamber.  His 
strength  was  slowly  passing  from  him.  As  he  lay  upon 
his  couch  his  mind  and  his  pen  were  still  busy.  Letters 
were  sent  to  friends ;  articles  were  made  ready  for  pub- 
lication. Plans  were  formed  for  the  advancement  of 
the  work  of  the  Presbyterians  in  education  and  in  for- 
eign missions.  Months  of  suffering  followed.  On  Sep- 
tember 3,  1831,  there  was  a  look  of  great  joy  upon  his 
face  as  he  said  slowly,  "Mercy  is  triuniphant."  Then 
he  entered  into  rest. 


GEORGE   ADDISON   BAXTER 


Facing  page  221 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

GEORGE  ADDISON  BAXTER  EXTENDS  THE  WORK  OF  WASH- 
INGTON COLLEGE  AMONG  THE  PEOPLE  OF  THE 
SOUTH  AND  SOUTHWEST. 

Just  before  the  war  of  the  Revolution  began,  a  land 
surveyor  named  George  Baxter  made  his  home  in  the 
lower  Valley  of  Virginia.  His  father  was  an  English- 
man, and  was  connected,  it  is  said,  with  the  family  of 
the  great  English  preacher,  Richard  Baxter.  George 
Baxter  became  the  owner  of  large  tracts  of  land  and  had 
a  number  of  indentured  white  servants  in  his  country 
home  in  Rockingham  County.  His  wife  was  Mary  Love, 
a  Scot  from  Ireland,  whose  religious  faith  was  strong 
and  active.  Their  second  son,  George  Addison  Baxter, 
was  born  in  July,  1771. 

When  this  child,  George  Addison,  was  about  ten  years 
of  age,  he  suffered  a  severe  injury.  One  morning  early 
he  climbed  a  tree  to  catch  a  squirrel.  A  limb  of  the 
tree  broke,  the  boy  fell  to  the  ground  and  an  ankle  was 
fractured  by  the  fall.  When  the  wound  healed  this 
leg  was  shorter  than  the  other.  He  always  wore  a  high 
heel  on  the  shoe,  and  used  a  cane,  but  a  slight  lame- 
ness marked  his  manner  of  walking  as  long  as  he  lived. 
A  white  servant  from  Ireland,  an  intelligent  young 
man,  gave  instruction,  in  the  Baxter  home,  in  all  of  the 
English  branches  of  study.  The  boy,  George,  Avas  pos- 
sessed of  a  quick  and  active  mind  and  he  became  eager 
to  gain  more  knowledge.  His  mother's  teaching  and 
prayers  led  him  to  become  a  Christian,  and  at  an  early 
age  he  was  brought  into  the  church  now  known  as 
Cook's  Creek  Church,  which  was  then  under  the  care 
of  that  godly  shepherd,  Benjamin  Erwin.    Then  George 

221 


222  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

decided  that  he  would  enter  the  gospel  ministry,  and  at 
the  age  of  eighteen  he  placed  himself  under  the  instruc- 
tion of  William  Graham  at  Liberty  Hall  Academy.  There 
he  began  the  study  of  Latin.  His  work  was  carried  on 
with  so  much  energy  and  persistence  that  Avithin  a  few 
weeks  he  completely  mastered  the  elementary  principles 
of  that  language.  The  effort  injured  his  health,  how- 
ever, and  he  was  forced  to  return  home  and  rest  for  a 
whole  year.  Again  he  took  up  his  studies,  but  his 
manner  of  work  was  so  close  and  persistent  that  his 
bodily  strength  failed  once  more.  A  short  rest  made 
him  ready  again  for  his  tasks  at  school.  He  learned 
from  experience,  no  doubt,  that  it  is  wise  to  keep  the 
body  in  good  condition  by  exercise,  for  he  completed 
his  course  of  study  in  due  time  and  then  taught  and 
took  charge  of  the  Academy  at  New  London  in  Bedford 
County,  Virginia.  Then  again  he  returned  to  Liberty 
Hall  to  become  a  member  of  Graham's  class  in  theology. 
This  work  of  ministerial  study  was  completed  in  No- 
vember, 1796,  and  in  the  following  April  (1797)  he  was 
licensed  to  preach  the  gospel  by  the  Lexington  Pres- 
bytery. 

Baxter  took  up  again  the  work  of  teaching  at  New 
London.  Within  a  year  he  gathered  a  large  body  of 
students  around  him.  Now  that  Graham  had  departed, 
Baxter  was  held  to  be  the  best  teacher  of  young  men 
in  the  Valley  of  Virginia.  Li  October,  1798,  he  was 
appointed  to  teach  at  Liberty  Hall,  which  had  then 
been  given  the  name  of  Washington  Academy.  A  year 
later,  that  is  in  October,  1797,  he  was  made  President 
of  the  Academy,  and  this  post  he  held  for  a  period  of 
thirty  years.  In  1813  the  school  was  given  the  title 
of  Washington  College.  Along  with  the  headship  of 
the  college,  Baxter  held  also  the  pastorate  of  the  congre- 
gations at  Monmouth  and  Lexington.  A  house  of  wor- 
ship was  erected  in  the  latter  place  in  1802.  As  preacher 
and  teacher  he  exerted  a  mighty  influence  over  those 


George  Addison  Baxter  223 

wlio  were  committed  to  his  care.  His  own  great  intel- 
lect expanded  during  these  years  and  his  heart  was  al- 
ways filled  with  tender  sympathy.  In  1801  he  went  to 
Kentucky  to  see  for  himself  the  manner  in  which  the 
great  revival  was  making  progress  through  the  south- 
ern part  of  that  state.  In  a  letter  to  his  friend,  Arch- 
ibald Alexander,  Baxter  said:  "This  revival  operates 
as  our  Saviour  promised  the  Holy  Spirit  should  when 
sent  into  the  world;  it  convinces  of  sin,  of  righteous- 
ness, and  of  judgment,  a  strong  confirmation  to  my 
mind  both  that  the  promise  is  divine  and  that  this  is  a 
remarkable  fulfillment  of  it."  Soon  afterwards,  how- 
ever, when  more  violent  bodily  exercises  were  seen 
among  those  who  were  affected  by  the  revival  movement, 
Baxter  expressed  his  disapproval. 

The  students  of  the  college  called  Dr.  Baxter  "Old 
Rex."  He  was  not  stern  and  severe  in  his  government. 
Like  a  wise  father,  he  administered  punishment  when 
it  was  necessary ;  sometimes  he  gave  advice  and  fatherly 
counsel  and  then  sent  the  offending  student  back  to  his 
room  and  his  books.  "The  students  loved  him  through 
life;  they  loved  to  talk  about  him,  and  his  absolute 
dominion  and  his  inherent  greatness." 

Baxter's  first  work  as  Rector  of  the  Academy  was  to 
make  journeys  among  the  church  congregations  to  ask 
for  money.  He  gave  his  own  salary  to  the  assistant 
teachers  in  order  that  they  might  receive  as  much  as  had 
been  promised  to  them.  He  supported  his  own  family 
upon  the  small  amount  of  four  hundred  dollars  a  year, 
paid  him  for  preaching,  and  upon  the  rental  received 
for  his  lands. 

The  Virginia  canal  stock,  donated  by  Washington, 
bore  a  face  value  of  twenty  thousand  dollars.  We  have 
already  seen  that  it  was  not  until  March,  1802,  five  years 
and  six  months  after  Washington's  assignment  of  it,  that 
the  stock  yielded  a  dividend.  This  amounted  to  three  per 
cent,  on  the  capital,  or  the  sum  of  six  hundred  dollars.  In 


224  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

June,  1802,  a  second  dividend  of  six  hundred  dollars 
was  paid,  and  some  months  later  a  third,  of  twelve 
hundred  dollars.  In  January,  1803,  the  Academy  build- 
ing caught  fire  and  was  soon  destroyed.  Only  the  stone 
yj'alls  were  left  standing  as  a  memorial  of  the  Presby- 
terian faith  that  had  erected  them.  New  buildings  were 
erected  within  the  limits  of  the  town  of  Lexington,  and 
there  Baxter  continued  his  work.  The  canal  stock  fur- 
nished irregular  dividends  until  1820,  when  the  State 
of  Virginia  agreed  to  pay  interest  to  the  extent  of  2,400 
dollars  annually  for  twelve  years,  and  after  1832,  an 
annual  dividend  of  three  thousand  dollars.  John  Rob- 
inson, a  Scot  of  Rockbridge,  gave  his  estate  to  the  col- 
lege and  this  furnished  a  considerable  fund  after  the 
year  1824.  The  Virginia  branch  of  the  Cincinnati 
Society  also  donated  its  funds  to  the  Academy,  but 
nothing  at  all  was  realized  from  this  gift  until  the  year 
1848. 

Baxter's  wife,  a  daughter  of  Colonel  William  Flem- 
ing, of  Botetourt,  inherited  large  tracts  of  land  from 
her  father,  in  addition  to  the  land  given  to  Baxter  by 
his  own  father.  As  many  as  eleven  or  twelve  large  bodies 
of  land  in  the  mountains  of  Virginia  were  thus  owned  by 
Baxter  and  his  wife.  He  came  to  the  conclusion,  how- 
ever, that  it  would  require  several  of  the  best  years  of 
his  life  to  manage  this  property  with  any  degree  of 
success.  "He  did  not  think,"  writes  his  daughter, 
Louisa  Baxter,  "that  he  had  any  more  right  to  take 
this  time  to  keep  a  fortune  than  to  take  it  to  make  a 
fortune."  Some  of  it  was  sold,  and  some  of  it  was  lost, 
through  Dr.  Baxter's  inability  to  give  it  proper  atten- 
tion. 

Thus,  with  a  small  amount  of  money  at  his  command 
each  year,  Baxter  built  up  the  school  and  extended  its 
power  until  it  became  the  chief  institution  of  learning 
among  the  Southern  Presbyterians.  It  was  the  privilege 
of  this  man  of  God,  this  teacher  of  the  Word,  to  estab- 


George  Addison  Baxter  225 

lish  Washington  College  upon  a  broad  and  liberal  foun- 
dation and  to  extend  her  work  by  sending  many  well- 
trained  lawyers,  physicians,  statesmen  and  preachers 
into  the  states  of  the  South  and  Southwest.  The  first 
teacher  who  came  to  assist  Baxter  was  Daniel  Blain,  a 
young  preacher  from  Abbeville,  South  Carolina.  Then 
Henry  Ruffner,  another  Presbyterian  minister,  became 
his  chief  assistant,  and  was,  at  a  later  time,  made  presi- 
dent of  the  College. 

William  H.  Ruffner,  a  son  of  Henry  Ruffner,  de- 
scribes Baxter  as  "a  man  of  extraordinary  ability  and 
great  influence."  "My  earliest  recollections,"  he  says, 
"are  associated  with  Dr.  Baxter.  He  was  pastor  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  [in  Lexington]  until  I  was  seven 
years  of  age;  and  he  impressed  me  much  more  than 
did  the  House  Mountain.  Remembering  him  as  I  do, 
I  can  understand  the  feeling  of  the  child  who  stood 
before  Dr.  Plumer  and  asked  him  solemnly,  'Are  you 
God?'  My  mother's  counsels  as  to  reverencing  Dr. 
Baxter  were  not  needed.  By  his  ponderous  frame,  his 
massive  head,  his  dignity,  his  rich,  tender  voice,  the 
majestic  march  of  his  pulpit  discourse,  his  swelling 
emotions,  his  unconscious  tears — he  impressed  my  boy- 
ish mind  as  the  very  embodiment  of  all  that  was  great, 
good  and  loving.  I  watched  him  from  our  square  pew 
in  front  of  the  pulpit,  and  from  beginning  to  end  his 
services  fascinated  as  much  as  ordinary  services  af- 
flicted me." 

One  Sunday  afternoon  in  September,  1822,  Dr. 
Baxter  preached  to  a  large  congregation  of  worship- 
pers who  were  seated  among  a  grove  of  trees  and  upon 
the  side  of  the  mountain  near  the  southern  gateway  of 
the  famous  Goshen  Pass,  in  Rockbridge  County,  Vir- 
ginia. "The  wicked  are  like  the  troubled  sea"  was  the 
preacher's  theme.  His  voice  rang  out  like  the  sound 
of  a  trumpet,  while  he  declared  that  peace  never  abides 
in  the  heart  of  an  evil  man.     To  confirm  this  he  recited 


226  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

the  confessions  of  Rousseau,  Voltaire,  Hume  and  man}' 
others.  Then  he  made  a  searching  appeal  to  those  among 
his  hearers  who  were  still  unreconciled  to  God,  and  as  he 
made  this  appeal  "his  benignant  face  was  bathed  In 
tears."  The  whole  congregation  was  deeply  moved  by 
the  preacher's  words.  With  great  solemnity.  Dr. 
Baxter  pointed  them  to  the  hour  of  death  and  the  day 
of  judgment,  "when  such  a  sense  of  avenging  justice 
shall  seize  upon  you  as  will  completely  reverse  the  very 
instincts  of  nature  itself."  "Suppose,  as  you  are  seated 
here  this  moment,"  he  said  further,  "that  you  should  see 
the  heavens  above  suddenly  gathering  blackness,  and 
feel  the  earth,  under  some  mysterious  power,  trembling 
beneath  your  feet;  and  you,  who  are  seated  upon  the 
mountain,  should  feel  it  shaking  to  its  foundation,  and 
looking  up  to  its  top  we  should  see  it  nodding  to  its  fall. 
What  would  nature  dictate?  We  should  all  flee  in  hor- 
ror from  the  fatal  spot.  But  how  completely  will  all 
this  feeling  be  reversed  to  the  impenitent  at  the  last 
day !  O,  you  will  then  say  to  the  mountains  and  to 
the  rocks,  'Fall  on  us,  and  hide  us  from  the  wrath  of 
the  Lamb,  for  the  great  day  of  his  wrath  is  come  and 
who  will  be  able  to  stand.'"  "  The  effect  of  these  words 
was  marvellous.  The  whole  assembly  seemed  to  sway 
back  and  forth  as  if  moved  by  a  mighty  wind  and  many 
of  those  who  were  seated  in  the  grove  and  on  the 
mountain  side  arose  and  turned  "to  see  if  the  moun- 
tain was  not  really  about  to  fall." 

A  group  of  young  men  and  boys,  some  of  them  col- 
lege students,  sat  near  Dr.  Baxter  while  he  was  preach- 
ing. The  words  of  the  minister  filled  their  hearts  with 
a  feeling  of  awe  and  reverence  that  remained  with  them 
through  life.  Two  of  these  young  listeners  afterwards 
became  influential  as  Presbyterian  ministers.  These 
were  William  S.  Plumer  and  William  Brown. 

Dr.  John  Leyburn  has  written  as  follows  about 
a    communion    service    which    he    attended    as    a    boy 


George  Addison  Baxter  227 

at  the  old  stone  church  called  Monmouth,  near 
the  town  of  Lexington:  "Our  minister  [Dr.  Baxter] 
preached  the  morning  sermon.  Pie  was  always  evan- 
gelical, solemn  and  impressive,  and  at  times  there 
was  a  sublime  and  majestic  roll  in  his  utterances  which 
marked  him  the  great  man  all  acknowledged  him  to  be. 
But  today  there  was  a  power,  a  vivid  spreading  out  of 
eternal  things,  a  directness  and  earnestness  altogether 
peculiar.  At  times  his  voice  would  falter,  as  he  almost 
choked  with  the  swelling  emotion.  A  divine  afflatus 
had  breathed  upon  his  heart,  and  from  its  profound 
depths  he  spoke  as  a  dying  man  to  dying  men."  This 
sermon,  says  Dr.  Leyburn,  was  held  in  memory  for 
years  by  many  of  those  who  heard  it. 

In  1829  Dr.  Baxter  gave  up  the  presidency  of  Wash- 
ington College.  Through  long  labors  and  much  self- 
sacrifice  he  had  established  a  strong  church  school  with  a 
regular  patronage  from  various  parts  of  the  South  and 
Southwest.  He  wished  more  time  for  study  and  for 
pastoral  work  among  the  people  of  his  congregation. 
Two  years  later,  John  H.  Rice  passed  away  and  Bax- 
ter was  chosen  to  be  the  teacher  of  theology  in  Union 
Seminary.  The  call  of  the  two  synods  of  North  Car- 
olina and  Virginia  he  could  not  refuse,  and  in  Decem- 
ber, 1831,  Baxter  began  his  work  of  training  preachers. 
"All  the  great  topics  he  was  called  upon  to  handle,"  says 
one  of  his  pupils,  Dr.  John  Leyburn,  "had  been  themes 
of  reflection  during  almost  all  his  life.  They  were  im- 
bedded, too,  in  his  heart  as  well  as  in  his  understanding. 
In  the  discussions  of  the  lecture-room,  even  when  oth- 
ers might  have  been  taken  up  with  the  more  intellectual 
aspects  of  the  subject,  his  tear-filled  eyes  would  give 
evidence  that  the  truths  he  was  examining  had  pene- 
trated further  than  the  regions  of  the  understanding. 
He  was  sometimes,  however,  full  of  humor.  This  was 
particularly  manifested  when  he  could  get  a  student  into 
a  logical  dilemma.     In  order  to  do  this,  he  would  begin 


228  Southern  Freshyterian  Leaders 

with  questions  remote  from  his  ultimate  purpose,  and 
having  elicited  from  the  unsuspecting  pupil  one  answer 
after  another,  would  finally  bring  him,  very  much  to 
his  surprise,  right  up  into  a  corner.  This  feat  was 
always  accompanied  by  our  venerable  professor's  shak- 
ing his  great  sides  with  good-natured  laughter." 

Baxter's  chief  delight,  says  Dr.  Leyburn,  was  in 
preaching  the  gospel.  But  "his  sermons  were  never 
long.  I  think  I  have  seldom,  if  ever,  heard  him  exceed 
three-quarters  of  an  hour."  It  is  said  that  the  people  at 
Hampden  Sidney  asked  him  to  give  them  longer  ser- 
mons than  those  which  he  began  to  preach  there  each 
Sunday.  We  are  told  that  he  prepared  each  sermon 
in  the  following  manner :  On  Saturday  afternoon  he  sat 
down  upon  a  bench  in  the  front  porch  of  his  home. 
With  his  back  against  the  wall  "he  would  begin  a  low 
whistle,  at  the  same  time  passing  his  forefinger  back 
and  forth  in  front  of  his  lips  as  if  to  modulate  the 
sound.  There  he  would  sit  meditatively,  murmuring  a 
little  at  times,  and  occasionally  breaking  forth  as  if 
to  a  public  audience.  In  such  cases  he  would  some- 
times pause  and  repeat  with  changes  of  expression, 
and  again  relapse  into  his  quiet  whistle.  The  students 
who  overheard  him  would  listen  next  morning  for  the 
spoken  and  amended  passages,  and  they  always  found 
that  in  due  time  the  sentences  came  rolling  out  in  the 
Doctor's  grand  style  exactly  as  he  had  prepared  them." 

A  diff'erence  in  opinion  about  certain  matters  of  the- 
ology was  becoming  widespread  among  Presbyterians 
in  1831.  John  H.  Rice  saw  clearly,  just  before  his  death, 
the  coming  of  a  great  storm  in  the  church  from  the 
North  and  Northwest.  Only  thirty  years  before,  that 
is  in  1801,  the  Plan  of  Union  was  adopted,  whereby 
a  large  number  of  Congregational  churches  in  New 
York  and  in  the  regions  north  of  the  Ohio  River  were 
made  a  part  of  the  Presbyterian  body.  Into  these  north- 
ern and  western  churches  the  modified  Calvinism  of  New 


George  Addison  Baxter  229 

England  found  its  way.  They  neglected  the  West- 
minster Confession  by  not  requiring  young  ministers 
at  their  ordination  to  accept  it;  moreover,  the  office  of 
ruling  elder  was  not  always  maintained  among  them. 
Those  who  held  the  New  England  doctrines  were  called 
the  "New  School,"  while  those  who  maintained  the  Cal- 
vinistic  system  were  termed  the  "Old  School." 

On  May  11,  1837,  a  great  convention  met  in  the 
Sixth  Presbyterian  Church  of  Philadelphia.  It  was 
made  up  of  delegates  from  the  "Old  School"  Presby- 
terians of  the  entire  country.  Dr.  Baxter  was  chosen 
to  preside  over  this  important  body.  With  great  dig- 
nity and  simplicity  of  manner  he  directed  the  work  and 
deliberations  of  the  convention.  This  body  prepared 
a  list  of  those  errors  in  doctrine,  in  church  order  and 
in  discipline  Avhich  were  held  by  the  New  School.  This 
list  was  presented  in  the  form  of  a  memorial  to  the 
General  Assembly,  which  met  in  Philadelphia  on  May 
18.  The  Assembly  placed  the  memorial  in  the  hands  of 
a  special  committee  consisting  of  four  Southern  minis- 
ters, namely:  George  A.  Baxter,  Archibald  Alexander, 
W.  S.  Plumer,  A.  W.  Leland,  and  one  Northern  min- 
ister, Ashbel  Green.  Two  elders  were  also  members. 
The  committee  went  into  the  Assembly  with  a  report 
that  condemned  the  New  School  errors.  A  long  debate 
followed.  The  chief  speakers  in  favor  of  the  Old  School 
system  were  Plumer  and  Baxter,  John  and  Robert 
Breckinridge,  of  Kentuck}'^,  John  Witherspoon,  of 
South  Carolina,  with  Alexander,  Miller  and  Green. 
These  men  towered  above  all  the  rest  and  won  the  fight. 
The  Plan  of  Union  of  1801  was  abrogated.  Then  Plumer 
moved  that  the  synod  of  the  Western  Reserve,  in  Ohio 
and  Indiana,  should  be  considered  as  no  longer  a  part  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  Baxter  supported  the  motion 
with  a  strong,  forcible  address  and  the  synod  was  de- 
posed. Then  three  other  New  School  synods  of  west- 
ern New  York  were  cut  apart  from  the  Presbyterian 


230  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

body.  Thus  was  the  church  divided  in  1837  into  the 
Old  School  and  New  School  branches.  In  the  following 
year  two  separate  assemblies  were  organized.  A  few 
ministers  and  elders  in  the  South  joined  the  New  School 
Assembly.  The  great  body  of  the  Southern  Presbyte- 
rians, however,  remained  in  the  Old  School  Assembly. 

We  have,  already,  followed  Dr.  Baxter  from  Washing- 
ton College  to  his  class-room  at  the  Union  Seminary. 
There  he  continued  his  work  without  a  break  until  the 
close  of  the  session  in  the  spring  of  1841.  One  morning, 
a  few  days  later,  in  his  own  home,  he  fell  to  the  floor. 
There  were  a  few  minutes  of  keen  suffering.  Then  the 
pain  ceased,  and  he  looked  with  great  tenderness  upon 
the  members  of  his  family  and  then  his  expression 
changed  suddenly  to  one  of  rapture.  He  had  seen  the 
Pilot  face  to  face;  with  Him  this  teacher  and  leader  of 
men  crossed  the  bar. 

Baxter  "had  the  meekness  and  simplicity  of  a  little 
child."  This  was  the  opinion  of  all  of  those  who  sat 
at  his  feet  in  the  teacher's  classroom.  "But  yesterday," 
said  Dr.  Stuart  Robinson,  "and  I  was  sitting  at  his 
feet.  His  bland  and  noble  countenance  shone  upon  me 
to  cheer  the  hours  of  laborious  investigation,  and  his 
pure  and  peaceful  wisdom  directed  my  footsteps  in  the 
way  of  knowledge.  But  now  he  belongs  to  a  departed 
race,  and  to  the  mighty  men  of  old.  His  sun  was 
eclipsed  when  it  shone  with  the  greatest  brightness.  In 
the  full  maturity  of  his  transcendent  talents,  and  while 
exercising  an  incalculable  influence  for  good,  his  mantle 
fell  from  him  and  his  spirit  returned  to  Him  who  gave 
it."  According  to  Robinson,  Baxter  had  "quick  pene- 
tration and  comprehensive  grasp  of  mind,"  and  held  all 
the  treasures  of  his  reading  and  thinking  at  ready 
command. 

Dr.  John  H.  Bocock,  another  student  trained  by 
Baxter,  wrote  of  him  as  follows :  "There  arises  the 
vision  of  another  form,  a  brow  in  whose  massy  pro- 


George  Addison  Baxter  231 

portions  nature  had  carved  nobility,  a  countenance  in 
which  with  the  native  beamings  of  a  giant  intellect 
Divine  Grace  had  blended  a  sacred  tenderness,  which 
adored  and  trembled  and  loved  and  wept  like  some 
holy  and  sweet-spirited  infant.  We  remember  him  in 
the  pulpit — how  the  blood  flushed  his  face,  and  the 
tears  suffused  his  eyes,  when  his  own  or  another's  tongue 
depicted  the  awful  retributions  which  await  unbelieving 
sinners.  As  some  one  passing  Dr.  Payson's  Church, 
after  his  decease,  pointed  over  to  it  and  said,  'There 
Payson  prayed;'  so,  as  we  pass  the  neighboring 
church,  the  words  paraphrase  themselves  to  our 
thoughts,  and  we  feel,  'There  Baxter  wept.' "  Dr. 
Bocock  spoke  also  concerning  the  wondrous  light  that 
flashed  from  the  many-sided  mind  of  Baxter  as  he 
walked  through  the  realms  of  reason  and  logic;  and 
concerning  the  visions  of  the  solemnities  of  eternity  and 
of  the  glory  of  the  exalted  Saviour  that  were  the  cre- 
ations of  the  might  of  Baxter's  mind,  "as  mighty  a 
mind  as  I  can  well  conceive  of  in  the  possession  of  a 
mere  mortal." 


CHAPTER    XXXIV. 

A    JOURNEY    AMONG    THE    CHURCHES    OF    THE    SYNOD    OF 
VIRGINIA  IN   THE  YEAR   1800. 

Let  us  suppose  that  a  traveller  set  forth  in  the  sum- 
mer of  the  year  1800,  to  make  a  journey  through  the 
congregations  of  the  Virginia  Synod.  The  Synod  then 
contained  eight  Presbyteries,  as  follows :  Hanover, 
Lexington,  Redstone  (covering  a  part  of  the  present 
state  of  West  Virginia),  Ohio,  Winchester,  Transyl- 
vania, West  Lexington,  Washington.  The  three 
last  named  were  in  Kentucky  and  Ohio.  Baltimore 
Presbytery  formed  a  part  of  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia. 
In  the  city  of  Baltimore,  Patrick  Allison  was  drawing 
near  to  the  close  of  a  Presbyterian  pastorate  that  began 
there  in  1763.  He  was  succeeded  in  his  work  in  the 
First  Church  by  James  Inglis  (1802).  The  Second 
Church,  Baltimore,  was  organized  in  1803  with  John 
Glendy  as  first  pastor  and  John  Breckinridge  as  his  suc- 
cessor. In  Georgetown,  on  the  Potomac,  our  traveller 
found  Stephen  B,  Balch  preaching  to  a  congregation 
which  he  had  organized  there  in  1780.  John  B.  Slemons 
and  Samuel  McMaster  were  then  in  charge  of  churches 
in  eastern  Maryland,  then  within  the  bounds  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Leaves.  At  Alexandria,  Virginia,  the 
gospel  was  preached  with  a  strong  Scotch  accent  by 
that  minister  of  guileless  heart,  James  Muir,  of  the 
Presb3^ter3f  of  Baltimore. 

When  the  traveller  rode  across  the  Potomac  River,  in 
1800,  he  found  himself  in  the  midst  of  Moses  Hoge's 
congregation  at  Shepherdstown,  in  Virginia.  Not  far 
away,  John  Boyd  was  at  work  in  the  churches  named 

232 


The  Synod  of  Virginia  in  1800  233 

Tuscarora  and  Falling  Waters.  One  of  Boyd's  places 
for  preaching  was  Martinsburg,  where  a  strong  church 
was  afterwards  organized.  In  Winchester  the  people 
were  just  organizing  their  own  separate  church  and 
William  Hill  came  this  same  year  to  begin  his  long 
pastorate  of  thirty-four  years.  The  aged  soldier, 
General  Daniel  Morgan,  was  one  of  the  members 
of  Hill's  church.  In  the  previous  year,  1799,  the 
General  Assembly  met  at  Winchester  and  chose  Samuel 
Stanhope  Smith  as  Moderator.  Nash  Legrand  was  still 
looking  after  the  flock  in  the  Opecquon  field  and  John 
Lyle  was  at  Springfield  and  Romney  on  the  upper  Po- 
tomac. William  Williamson,  full  of  energy  and  bold- 
ness, was  at  that  time  riding  across  swift  streams  and 
over  rough  hills  and  mountains,  to  carry  the  message 
of  peace  to  the  people  who  lived  in  the  region  around 
Front  Royal.  His  school  was  then  located  in  that  town, 
but  was  afterwards  removed  to  Middleburg  in  Loudoun 
County.  Thus  went  forward  the  work  of  a  ministry 
that  was  to  continue  forty-eight  years  longer. 

Our  traveller  next  pursued  his  way  up  the  Valley  of 
Virginia.  In  the  churches  at  Cook's  Creek  and  Mossy 
Creek,  near  Harrisonburg,  he  heard  sermons  from  that 
quiet,  godly  minister,  Benjamin  Erwin,  who  was,  of 
course,  far  advanced  in  years.  Not  long  afterAvard,  Dr. 
John  Hendren  took  up  the  work  which  Erwin  laid 
down.  At  the  Stone  Church,  among  the  oak  trees  upon 
the  hill,  in  Augusta  County,  William  Wilson  was  repeat- 
ing, from  memory,  to  his  friends  line  after  line  from  an- 
cient Greek  and  Latin  masters.  Every  Sunday  Wilson 
gave  to  his  people  strong,  earnest  sermons. 

After  Wilson,  the  pastorate  of  the  Augusta  Church 
was  undertaken  by  Conrad  Speece,  a  man  of  German 
origin,  who  was  born  in  Bedford  County,  Virginia.  On 
October  20,  1796,  Speece  and  Baxter  stood  together 
at  liiberty  Hall  Academy  to  receive  diplomas  at  the 
end   of  the   course   of   study   under   William    Graham. 


2S4<  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

The  latter  had  just  given  up  his  work  as  Rector  of 
the  Academy.  Now,  in  the  year  1800,  Baxter  was  Rec- 
tor of  Washington  Academy,  the  new  name  given  to 
Liberty  Hall,  and  Speece  was  one  of  the  teachers 
in  Hampden  Sidney  College.  If  our  traveller  could 
have  looked  forward  to  the  year  1813  he  would  have 
seen  the  grove  around  the  Augusta  Church  crowded 
with  worshippers,  assembled  to  witness  the  installation  of 
Speece  as  pastor.  John  McCue,  of  the  Tinkling  Spring 
Church,  and  William  Calhoun,  of  Staunton,  were  the 
ministers  who  took  the  chief  parts  in  the  ceremony. 
The  tall,  awkward  Speece  himself  preached  with  great 
power,  as  he  entered  upon  a  ministry  that  was  to  con- 
tinue until  1835. 

Conrad  Speece  was  a  great  reader  of  books,  a  clear- 
minded  scholar.  He  made  no  notes  when  preparing  his 
sermons,  and,  yet,  we  shall,  in  later  years,  find  Dr. 
Henry  Ruffner  writing  this  of  him :  "When  he  preached, 
his  thoughts  were  so  lucid  and  so  well  arranged,  his 
diction  so  accurate,  and  the  flow  of  his  utterances  so 
easy,  so  full  and  so  unbroken  that  all  seemed  to  have 
been  elaborately  prepared."  Dr.  Speece  was  one  of  the 
first  Southern  ministers  who  made  a  place  for  himself 
among  the  writers  of  hymns.  His  most  beautiful  lines 
begin  as  follows : — 

"Blest  Jesus,  when  thy  cross  I  view. 
That  mystery  to  the  angelic  host." 

When  the  traveller  arrived  at  Bethel,  the  people  of 
that  congregation  told  him  about  the  virtues  and  the 
labors  of  their  late  pastor,  Archibald  Scott,  who  had 
been  recently  called  away  from  eartli.  Five  years 
afterwards,  William  McPheeters,  a  son  of  this  congre- 
gation, took  up  the  work  of  the  pastorate  among  his 
own  people.  Then  in  1810  he  became  preacher  and 
teacher    in    Raleigh,    North    Carolina,    where    success 


The  Synod  of  Virginia  in  1800  235 

crowned  the  twofold  ministry.  This  godly  patriarch 
became,  moreover,  the  head  of  a  long  line  of  worthy  sons, 
who  through  many  generations  have  rendered  noble  serv- 
ice as  elders  and  preachers  in  our  Southern  Church. 

At  New  Providence,  in  1800,  the  pastor  was  Samuel 
Brown.  He  grew  to  maturity  at  his  father's  home  near 
the  Peaks  of  Otter  and  studied  under  William  Graham 
at  Liberty  Hall  Academy.  In  1796,  when  the  venera- 
ble John  Brown  closed  his  pastorate  of  43  years  and 
went  to  Kentucky,  Samuel  Brown  became  the  preacher  in 
the  Stone  Meeting-house.  He  established  a  school  and 
began  to  teach  some  of  the  brightest  boys  of  our  land, 
among  them  Samuel  B.  Wilson,  Samuel  McDowell 
Moore  and  James  McDowell,  afterwards  governor  of 
Virginia.  The  visitor  in  1800  was  deeply  impressed 
when  he  heard  the  preaching  of  Samuel  Brown.  A 
tall,  thin  man,  having  a  thin  face  with  small,  deepset 
eyes,  stood  up  in  the  pulpit.  He  caught  the  attention 
of  his  audience  and  held  it  to  the  close  of  the  sermon. 
Sometimes  the  deepset  eyes  seemed  to  glow  like  fire. 
Sound,  practical  sense  marked  this  leader  of  his  people, 
who  remained  the  pastor  of  New  Providence  until  his 
death  in  1818.  The  congregation  grew  in  strength. 
The  old  stone  house  of  worship  gave  place  to  a  large 
brick  church. 

The  wife  of  Samuel  Brown  was  Mary  Moore,  to 
whom  he  was  united  in  1798.  The  people  of  the  con- 
gregation never  wearied  in  telling  our  traveller  the  won- 
derful story  of  her  early  life,  for  she  was  one  of  the 
famous  "Captives  of  Abb's  Valley,"  of  Southwest  Vir- 
ginia. One  morning,  when  Mary  was  about  nine  years  of 
age,  she  saw  a  company  of  savage  Indians  surround  her 
father's  log  cabin  in  the  valley.  They  killed  the  father, 
burned  the  house,  and  led  away  the  mother  and  some  of 
her  children  beyond  the  Ohio  River.  There  the  mother 
and  one  of  her  daughters  were  put  to  death  in  the  most 
cruel    manner.     The    child    Mary    went    bravely    on 


236  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

through  the  long  days  of  trial  and  suffering,  holding 
fast  always  to  a  New  Testament,  which  she  had  car- 
ried away  from  her  father's  house.  After  three  years 
she  was  rescued  and  brought  back  to  her  friends.  In 
later  years,  as  the  wife  of  Samuel  Brown,  she  and  her 
husband  knelt  in  prayer  every  night  and  asked  God  to  set 
apart  their  sons  as  preachers.  Five  of  these  sons  be- 
came successful  ministers  of  the  gospel.  The  youngest 
of  these  was  William  Brown  of  blessed  memory.  When 
Samuel  Brown  passed  away,  his  son-in-law,  James  Mor- 
rison, took  up  the  work  of  the  pastorate  at  New  Prov- 
idence. 

The  rider  proceeded  on  his  journey,  and  spent  a  day 
with  Dr.  Baxter  in  the  Washington  Academy,  then  the 
largest  Presbyterian  church  school  in  the  South.  At  Fall- 
ing Spring  Church  and  at  the  Natural  Bridge  the 
preacher  was  Samuel  Houston,  who  laid  aside  the  rifle, 
with  which  he  fought  in  the  Revolution,  to  become  a  pas- 
tor. Near  the  Peaks  of  Otter,  James  Mitchell,  a  small 
man  of  quiet,  gentle  manners,  was  the  minister.  Asso- 
ciated with  him  in  the  pastorate  was  a  tall,  strong  man, 
James  Turner.  As  the  years  passed,  Mitchell  became 
the  white-haired  patriarch,  called  Father  Mitchell  by  all 
who  knew  him.  His  tender  pleadings  in  the  pulpit 
were  kept  up  until  the  close  of  his  long  life  of  ninety- 
five  years.  Turner,  the  strong,  gifted  orator,  had  the 
power  to  move  his  audiences  to  smiles  and  to  tears. 
Without  envy  or  strife,  these  two  men  of  God  continued 
to  work  side  by  side  until  Turner  heard  God's  call  and 
left  the  venerable  Mitchell  as  the  only  shepherd  of  the 
flock. 

In  September,  1800,  the  Hanover  Presbytery  held  its 
regular  session  at  the  Cove  Church  in  Albemarle  County 
and  licensed  John  Todd  to  preach.  This  John  was  the 
son  of  the  elder  John  Todd,  of  Louisa  County.  The 
young  man  tried  his  gifts  in  the  Virginia  churches 
and  afterwards  (1809)  went  to  Kentucky. 


The  Synod  of  Virginia  in  1800  ^Sl 

Our  traveller  next  paid  a  visit  to  James  Waddell,  the 
blind  preacher,  who  still  lingered  in  his  country  home  in 
Orange  County.  Then  he  rode  to  the  town  of  Freder- 
icksburg, on  the  Rappahannock.  Only  one  or  two 
Presbyterians  dwelt  there  in  1800.  Six  years  later, 
Samuel  B.  Wilson,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  a 
member  of  the  Bethel  Church,  York  County,  South 
Carolina,  came  to  Fredericksburg  to  assume  the  care 
of  the  little  flock  of  three  Presbyterians.  The  leader 
of  these  three  was  John  Mark,  a  merchant,  whose  native 
land  was  Scotland.  The  godliness  of  Wilson's  life  and 
the  instruction  embodied  in  his  sermons  drew  the  best 
people  of  the  community  into  his  church,  until  it  became 
one  of  the  strongest  Presbyterian  congregations  in  the 
South.  INIany  families  that  had  grown  up  in  the  Epis- 
copal fold  sent  their  children  to  Wilson's  classical 
school,  and  the  heads  of  these  families  became  members 
of  Wilson's  flock. 

Another  traveller.  Dr.  William  H.  Foote,  at  a  later 
time  (1816-18),  spent  several  months  here  and  attended 
the  services  at  Wilson's  church.  Foote  tells  us  about 
the  solemnity  of  the  members  of  the  congregation  as 
they  entered  the  house  of  God.  "What  silence  reigned 
within !  A  whisper,  a  rustle  would  nave  been  rude  while 
these  gentlemen  and  ladies  worshipped  God  with  their 
beloved  pastor."  Many  forms  and  faces  in  that  church 
attracted  the  attention  of  Foote.  "Half  way  from  the 
right  hand  door  of  entrance  to  the  pulpit"  was  the 
regular  pew  of  Daniel  Grinnan,  who  felt  himself  under 
obligations,  says  Foote,  for  "an  opportunity  of  show- 
ing kindness."  "Near  by  Grinnan,  when  his  profession 
permitted,  sat  [Robert]  Wellford,  the  physician,  of 
extensive  reading,  and  wonderful  memory,  and  great 
skill  in  the  healing  art;  his  amiable  wife  and  his  sons 
by  his  side."  Foote  saw,  also,  Seddon,  "the  widow's 
friend;"  Phihp  Alexander,  "always  kind;"  the  devout 
Henderson,    the    manly    Morson,    and    "that    genuine 


238  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

Scotch  elder,"  Andrew  Glassel,  with  short  grey  hair, 
long  boots  and  knee  buckles,  "a  full  believer  in  his  own 
creed."  Foote  marked  also  the  erect  bearing  of  James 
H.  Fitzgerald,  who  was  just  then  beginning  his  great 
work  as  ruling  elder  and  man  of  business  in  church 
affairs,  which  was  continued  until  1852. 

From  Fredericksburg,  our  traveller  rode  to  Rich- 
mond and  there  attended  a  service  held  in  the  Capitol 
building  by  John  D,  Blair.  Near  St.  John's  Church 
he  saw  the  new-made  grave  of  William  Graham,  who 
had  died  the  year  before  (1799).  Then  our  trav- 
eler made  the  long  journey  westward  into  the  land 
of  Kentucky,  where  Father  Rice  was  keeping  a  careful 
watch  over  the  whole  field.  McGready  was  holding 
there  the  first  camp-meeting  and  was  moving  the  mul- 
titudes with  fiery  sermons.  Robert  Marshall,  another 
revivalist,  was  holding  the  attention  of  thousands  by 
his  bold  denunciation  of  sinners.  John  Page  Camp- 
bell, with  voice  and  pen,  was  guiding  the  church  of 
that  region  in  the  straight  way  of  the  orthodox  belief. 
Archibald  Cameron  and  James  Blythe  were  also  pil- 
lars in  the  Kentucky  church.  Two  years  later  (1802) 
the  Kentucky  Synod  was  organized,  with  three  separate 
Presbyteries,  Transylvania,  West  Lexington  and  Wash- 
ington. Thirty-seven  ministers  formed  the  synod  when 
it  thus  began  its  independent  life.  Among  the  elders  of 
the  church  were  some  of  the  sons  of  John  Brown, 
Ephraim  McDowell  and  John  Breckinridge,  of  Vir- 
ginia. The  latter  had  four  sons.  The  eldest  was  Joseph 
Cabell  Breckinridge,  a  lawyer  and  an  active  ruling 
elder,  who  was  in  the  habit  of  carrying  his  Bible  with 
him  into  the  law  courts.  In  the  year  1800  Robert  Jef- 
ferson Breckinridge  was  born,  third  son  of  John  Breck- 
inridge. Afterwards,  three  of  the  latter's  sons,  bearing 
the  names  John,  William  L.,  and  Robert  J.,  as  ministers 
of  the  gospel  became  great  leaders  in  the  Kentucky 
Presbyterian  Church. 


CHAPTER    XXXV. 

A    JOURNEY   AMONG    THE    CHURCHES    OF    THE    CAROLINAS 

AND    GEORGIA   AND    THE    SOUTHWEST    IN    THE 

YEAR  1800. 

Toward  the  Holston  and  Watauga  rivers  our  trav- 
eller next  directed  his  course.  There  he  found  the 
Abingdon  Presbytery  already  organized,  while  farther 
west  in  Tennessee  was  Union  Presbytery.  Both  of  these 
formed  a  part  of  the  Synod  of  the  Carolinas  and 
Georgia.  The  other  presbyteries  of  this  synod  were  the 
following:  Orange  and  Concord,  in  North  Carolina; 
First  Presbytery,  Second  Presbytery,  and  Greenville,  in 
South  Carolina,  and  Hopewell  Presbytery,  in  Georgia. 
Besides  these,  the  independent  Presbytery  of  Charleston 
had  been  organized  since  1790. 

In  1800,  Charles  Cummings  was  still  living  in  Ten- 
nessee, but  no  longer  in  active  control  of  a  congregation  ; 
Samuel  Doak  was  engaged  in  the  work  of  teaching  at 
Salem.  Edward  Crawford  was  pastor  of  the  churches 
at  Rocky  Spring  and  Glade  Spring.  The  Presbytery 
of  Union,  in  Tennessee,  contained  six  ministers.  Heze- 
kiah  Balch  was  in  the  midst  of  his  successful  labors  as 
president  of  Greenville  College.  Samuel  Carrick  was 
the  pastor  of  the  Knoxville  Church  and  president  of 
Blount  College.  At  Grassy  Valley  and  in  neighboring 
congregations  the  pastor  was  Samuel  Graham  Ramsey. 
Robert  Henderson  was  in  charge  of  Plopewell.  The 
most  active  preacher  of  the  gospel  in  Tennessee  in  the 
year  1800  was  Gideon  Blackburn,  a  native  of  Augusta 
County,  Virginia.  He  was  more  than  six  feet  in  height 
and    rode   on    horseback    at    a   rapid   pace   across    the 

239 


240  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

country  to  visit  his  various  congregations.  In  1803 
he  began  his  great  missionary  work  among  the  Cherokee 
Indians.  Then  in  1811  he  became  pastor  at  Franklin, 
Tennessee,  and  was  there  appointed  principal  of  Har- 
peth  Academy.  From  1823  until  1833  Dr.  Blackburn 
was  in  Kentucky ;  first,  as  minister  in  Louisville,  then 
as  president  of  Center  College  and  afterwards  as 
preacher  at  Versailles.  His  later  years  were  spent  in 
Illinois.  Two  of  the  sons  of  Dr.  Doak,  namely,  John 
W.  Doak  and  Samuel  W.  Doak,  succeeded  their  father 
in  the  presidency  of  Washington  College.  Dr.  Doak's 
grandson,  A.  A.  Doak,  also  became  president  of  this 
school  which  furnished  to  the  church  a  large  number 
of  capable  ministers  of  the  gospel. 

There  were  more  than  twenty-five  Presbyterian  con- 
gregations in  Tennessee  in  1800.  A  chain  of  them  ex- 
tended from  Watauga  to  Nashville.  In  the  year  1800, 
Charles  Coffin  became  pastor  at  Greenville.  He  was 
a  man  of  high  character  and  liberal  education  and  in 
1810  was  chosen  president  of  Greenville  College.  In 
1808,  James  W.  Stephenson  with  a  number  of  fellow- 
colonists  bearing  the  names  Frierson,  Witherspoon, 
Mayes,  Dobbin,  Fleming  and  Blakely,  from  Williams- 
burg District,  South  Carolina,  founded  IMt.  Zion  in 
Maury  County.  In  the  same  year  Robert  Henderson 
began  to  preach  at  the  point  now  known  as  Murfrees- 
boro.  In  1829  the  Presbytery  of  Western  District  was 
formed  and  in  1830  Samuel  M.  Williamson  founded 
the  first  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  city  of  Memphis. 

Our  traveller  next  entered  North  Carolina  and  there 
found  Pattillo,  the  patriarch  of  the  people  at  Grassy 
Creek  and  Nutbush,  in  Orange  Presbytery.  David  Cald- 
well continued  until  1820  to  minister  to  the  congrega- 
tions of  Buffalo  and  Alamance.  William  Paisley  came  to 
Hawfields  about  the  year  1800  and  under  his  preaching 
the  revival  began  there.  Samuel  Paisley  and  John  Pais- 
ley afterwards  preached  well  and  lived  godly  lives  among 


Synod  of  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia  in  1800     241 

the  people  of  the  Eno  congregation.  For  years  the  shep- 
herd of  the  New  Hanover  congregations  was  Robert 
Tate.  In  1801,  John  Robinson  left  Duplin  County 
and  went  to  Fayetteville.  Samuel  Stanford  took  up  the 
work  in  Duplin  and  labored  with  success  for  more  than 
a  quarter  of  a  century.  In  March,  1801,  at  Barbacue 
Church,  Cumberland  County,  a  group  of  David  Cald- 
well's students  was  given  authority  to  preach,  as  fol- 
lows :  Ezekiel  B.  Currie,  John  Matthews,  Duncan 
Brown,  Murdock  McMillan,  Malcolm  McNair,  Hugh 
Shaw  and  Murdock  Murphy.  These  became  strong  up- 
builders  of  the  church  in  North  Carolina.  McMillan 
and  McNair  labored  for  many  years  in  the  Fayetteville 
region  in  that  State.  William  Bingham  began  to 
preach  at  Wilmington  in  1785.  The  classical  school, 
which  he  founded  in  1793,  was  conducted  with  great  suc- 
cess. In  the  upper  country,  under  the  administration 
of  a  continuous  line  of  Binghams,  this  school  has  con- 
tinued to  be  a  strong  arm  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

When  our  traveller  rode  southward  he  found  Samuel 
E.  McCorkle  at  Thyatira,  James  Hall  at  Bethany, 
James  Wallis  at  Providence,  and  Lewis  T.  Wilson  at 
Concord  and  Fourth  Creek.  Other  pastors  were  Joseph 
D.  Kilpatrick,  Third  Creek ;  John  Carrigan,  Ramah ; 
John  Andrews,  Little  Britain. 

McCorkle  died  in  1811.  Twenty  years  later  (1831) 
the  short  ministry  of  another  remarkable  preacher, 
Thomas  Espy,  came  to  an  end  at  Thyatira.  Espy  had 
a  living  faith.  The  godliness  of  his  conduct  won  a  large 
number  of  people  for  the  Master.  Even  the  manner 
of  his  dying,  marked  as  it  was  by  great  confidence  and 
joyful  anticipations,  caused  many  persons  to  announce 
their  readiness  to  become  Christians. 

Lewis  Feuilleteau  Wilson,  pastor  of  Concord  and 
Fourth  Creek  Churches,  was  born  in  the  West  Indies 
and  received  his  early  training  at  a  grammar  school  in 
London,  England.    In  his  eighteenth  year  young  Wilson 


242  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

came  across  the  Atlantic  and  entered  Princeton  Col- 
lege. He  there  became  a  Christian  and  made  up  his 
mind  to  enter  the  ministry.  The  war  of  the  Revo- 
lution disturbed  his  plans,  however,  and  he  began  the 
study  of  medicine.  Afterwards  for  a  number  of  years 
he  rendered  service  to  the  American  colonies  as  a  sur- 
geon in  the  army.  When  the  war  was  ended  James 
Hall,  who  had  known  Wilson  at  Princeton  College,  per- 
suaded him  to  come  to  North  Carolina.  For  a  period  of 
about  four  years  Wilson  practiced  medicine  in  Ire- 
dell and  then  he  asked  Orange  Presbytery  to  grant 
him  licensure  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel.  This  was 
done  in  1791.  Two  years  later  he  became  shepherd  of 
the  flocks  of  Fourth  Creek  and  Concord,  as  the  succes- 
sor of  James  Hall.  Many  were  led  into  the  kingdom 
through  the  faithfulness  of  this  man  of  God.  Through 
much  physical  suffering,  but  with  triumphant  spirit- 
ual hope,  his  life  came  to  an  end  in  December,  1804. 
One  of  his  sons,  Hugh  Wilson,  organized  the  first  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  the  republic  of  Texas. 

In  1792  Samuel  C.  Caldwell,  son  of  David  Caldwell, 
became  shepherd  of  the  flocks  at  Sugar  Creek  and 
Hopewell  in  Mecklenburg  County.  In  manner  he  was 
modest  and  winning  a.nd  he  persuaded  many  people  to 
enter  the  church  of  God.  Behind  the  mildness  of  his 
demjeanor  there  was  hidden  strong  purpose  and  a  firm 
will.  In  1793  the  elders  of  Caldwell's  two  churches 
met  together  and  adopted  resolutions  binding  the  two 
congregations  to  maintain  the  following  principle: 

"As  a  church  judicature  we  will  not  intermeddle  with 
what  belongs  to  the  civil  magistrate,  either  as  an  officer 
of  state,  or  a  minister  of  justice  among  the  citizens. 
The  line  between  the  church  and  state  being  so  fine,  we 
know  not  how  to  draw  it,  therefore  we  leave  it  to  Chris- 
tian prudence  and  longer  experience  to  determine." 

In  1805  Caldwell  moved  away  from  his  home  near 
the  Hopewell  Church  and  gave  himself  to  the  work  at 


Synod  of  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia  in  1800     243 

Sugar  Creek  and  Charlotte.  He  continued  to  preach 
the  gospel  of  peace  until  1826,  and  then  he  was  laid  to 
rest  at  the  very  spot  where  once  stood  the  log  church  of 
Sugar  Creelv. 

In  the  year  1800,  Humphrey  Hunter  was  pastor  of 
Graham  and  Unity.  About  1805  he  became  shepherd 
of  the  Steele  Creek  and  New  Hope  Churches,  and  there 
kept  up  his  earnest  preaching  until  the  end  of  his  life 
in  1827.  James  McRae  left  the  Steele  Creek  pastorate 
about  1798  and  went  to  the  Center  congregation,  where 
he  preached  with  power  and  success  for  about  thirty 
years. 

In  the  year  1800,  John  Robinson  became  pastor  of 
the  Fayettcville  Church.  He  established  there  a  clas- 
sical school.  Then,  in  1801,  he  removed  to  the  Poplar 
Tent  Church,  which  stands  fourteen  miles  east  of  the 
present  Davidson  College.  With  the  exception  of  a 
brief  interval  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in  that  con- 
gregation until  death  came  in  1843.  It  was  a  long  and 
fruitful  ministry.  Tall  and  slender,  courteous  in 
manner,  and  persuasive  in  his  mode  of  speaking,  Rob- 
inson led  a  great  multitude  of  people  into  Christ's 
kingdom. 

Throughout  the  long  period  of  thirty  years  from 
1801  until  1831,  John  Makemie  Wilson  held  together  in 
the  bond  of  affection  as  one  congregation  the  two 
churches  of  Rocky  River  and  Philadelphia,  Wilson  was 
born  in  1769  in  Mecklenburg  County.  His  father  died 
before  the  close  of  the  Revolution.  In  1781,  when  the 
British  were  laying  waste  the  region  known  as  the  Wax- 
haws,  the  Widow  Jackson  with  her  young  son,  Andrew 
Jackson,  fled  for  refuge  to  the  Sugar  Creek  congre- 
gation and  lived  there  for  a  time  in  the  home  of  the 
Widow  Wilson.  The  two  boys,  John  Makemie  Wilson 
and  Andrew  Jackson,  the  latter  afterwards  President 
of  the  United  States,  worked  and  played  together  in  the 
home  of  Wilson's  mother. 


244  Southern  Preshyterian  Leaders 

Wilson  became  a  student  at  Hampden  Sidney 
College  while  John  Blair  Smith  was  president  of 
this  school.  Moses  Waddel  was  one  of  his  classmates. 
Wilson  studied  theology  under  the  instruction  of  James 
Hall  and  was  ordained  as  pastor  in  Burke  County, 
North  Carolina,  in  1795.  Six  years  later  he  was  called 
to  Rocky  River  and  Philadelphia.  As  a  preacher,  Wil- 
son was  filled  with  the  eager  desire  to  win  the  souls 
of  men.  His  discourses  were  marked  by  intense  ear- 
nestness. "It  was  amazing,"  said  one  who  often  heard 
him  speak,  "how  he  would  hold  the  attention  of  his 
audience  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  his  sermon, 
using  so  little  gesture,  often  manifesting  deep  feeling, 
seldom  any  excitement."  God  gave  him  marvellous  suc- 
cess. The  Rocky  River  congregation  grew  so  rapidly  in 
numbers  that  it  became  probably  the  strongest 
country  church  in  the  South  at  that  time.  He  opened 
a  school  and  trained  twenty-five  men  for  the  ministry. 
Wilson  went  among  his  people  at  regular  periods  and 
examined  the  children  as  to  their  knowledge  of  the 
catechism  and  all  members  with  reference  to  Bible  doc- 
trines. 

"No  cases  come  to  court  from  that  part  of  Meck- 
lenburg," was  a  remark  often  made  about  the  district 
embraced  in  his  two  fields  of  labor.  He  worked  al- 
ways in  behalf  of  peace  and  concord.  "He  believed," 
writes  one  who  knew  him,  "that  the  members  of  the 
church  are  Competent  to  settle  their  differences  by 
friendly  reference  to  each  other,  and  that  they  are 
bound  to  do  so  by  the  laws  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 
Through  judicious  and  affectionate  counsels  he  per- 
suaded his  people  to  adopt  this  course  of  procedure. 

Wilson  was  only  sixty-two  years  of  age  when  the  Mas- 
ter called  him  to  his  reward.  It  was  due  to  his  calm,  quiet 
temperament,  perhaps,  that  this  man  of  God  who  main- 
tained such  intimate  fellowship  with  the  unseen  Father, 
stated  distinctly  "that  in  facing  death  he  had  no  trans- 


Synod  of  the  CaroUnas  and  Georgia  in  1800     245 

porting  views  or  rapturous  feelings,  but  a  firm  and 
sustaining  hope  of  heaven,  founded  solely  on  the  merits 
of  Christ.  He  alluded  to  the  labors  of  his  life  only  to 
praise  God  for  the  tokens  of  His  grace;  expressed 
entire  submission  to  the  divine  will  in  reference  to  his 
dissolution,  and  a  joyful  expectation  of  spending  eter- 
nity in  the  presence  and  work  of  the  Redeemer.  Noth- 
ing could  be  more  animating  than  the  confidence  he 
expressed  in  our  Lord,  Jesus  Christ." 

John  Makemie  Wilson  furnished  two  sons  for  the  work 
of  the  ministry.  One  of  them,  John  Wilson,  became  the 
successor  of  James  Hall,  at  Bethany.  The  other,  Al- 
exander E.  Wilson,  spent  his  strength  as  a  missionary 
in  western  Africa  and  died  among  the  wild  tribes 
whom  he  sought  to  win. 

Fayetteville's  first  preacher,  David  Kerr,  was  also 
a  teacher  in  the  classical  school  located  in  that  town. 
In  1794,  as  we  have  seen,  he  became  the  first  presi- 
dent-professor in  the  North  Carolina  University.  Early 
in  the  year  1800  John  Robinson  assumed  the  double 
work  of  preacher  and  teacher  at  Fayetteville.  Soon 
after  his  arrival  he  organized  a  church.  The  burden 
of  two  offices  was  too  great,  however,  for  Robinson's 
strength  and  he  went  away.  In  January,  1803,  An- 
drew Flinn  undertook  the  twofold  work  at  Fayetteville. 
A  successful  ministry  of  three  years  followed,  but  in 
1805,  Flinn  gave  up  the  work.  Some  of  the  preachers, 
who  came  in  later  years  to  Fayetteville  were  the  fol- 
lowing: William  Leftwich  Turner,  son  of  James  Tur- 
ner, of  Bedford,  Virginia ;  Jesse  Turner,  brother  of  Wil- 
liam L. ;  William  D.  Snodgrass,  who  went  afterward  to 
the  Independent  Church,  Savannah ;  Robert  Hall  Morri- 
son, James  E.  Hamner,  Josiah  Kilpatrick  and  James  W. 
Douglass. 

Andrew  Flinn  was  born  in  Maryland  in  1773,  but  his 
parents  took  him  to  Mecklenburg,  N.  C,  and  he  there 
grew  to  manhood.     A  period  of  training  under  James 


246  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

Hall  fitted  him  for  the  course  of  study  at  Chapel  Hill. 
After  graduation  at  the  University  of  North  Caro- 
lina, Flinn  went  to  Fayetteville.  In  1806  he  was  called 
to  Camden,  South  Carolina,  by  a  number  of  Presbyte- 
rians, who  wished  to  give  a  new  life  to  the  Presbyterian 
Church  which  had  been  in  existence  at  that  place  before 
the  Revolution.  Andrew  Flinn  became  pastor  of  the  re- 
stored church.  In  1809,  however,  he  was  summoned  to 
Charleston  and  there  became  first  pastor  of  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church,  often  called  "Flinn's  Church." 

In  October,  1802,  the  Synod  of  the  Carolinas  en- 
joined upon  each  of  its  presbyteries  "to  establish  within 
its  respective  bounds,  one  or  more  grammar  schools, 
except  where  such  schools  are  already  established;  and 
that  each  member  of  the  several  presbyteries  make  it 
his  business  to  select  and  encourage  youths  of  prom- 
ising piety  and  talents  and  such  as  may  be  expected  to 
turn  their  attention  to  the  ministry  of  the  gospel."  Our 
traveller  found  in  the  year  1800,  many  church  schools 
already  planted  among  the  congregations  in  North 
Carolina,  as  we  have  seen.  When  he  crossed  the  state 
line  and  entered  South  Carolina,  he  found  Joseph 
Alexander  still  engaged  in  preaching  and  teaching  at 
Bullock's  Creek,  York  County,  South  Carolina.  The 
following  year  (1801),  however,  marked  the  end  of  Alex- 
ander's great  work  in  that  field,  and  in  1809  his  earthly 
life  came  to  a  close.. 

As  early  as  July,  1785,  Robert  Hall  was  ordained 
as  first  pastor  of  the  two  churches  of  Upper  Long 
Cane  and  Greenville  (then  called  Saluda),  in  South 
Carolina.  In  1794  Robert  Gilliland  Wilson  became  the 
shepherd  of  these  two  flocks.  Soon  afterwards  Wilson 
made  his  home  in  Ohio  and,  in  1800,  Hugh  Dickson  be- 
gan to  preach  at  Greenville  and  at  Smyrjia.  The  fruit- 
ful labors  of  this  man  of  God  were  continued  at  Green- 
ville through  the  space  of  seven  and  forty  years.  His 
ministry  there  came  to  an  end  Janury  1,  1847. 


Synod  of  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia  in  1800     247 

Union  Church,  organized  in  1765,  was  served  for  a 
time  by  Dr.  Joseph  Alexander.  From  1802  until  1805 
WilHam  Williamson  was  pastor.  In  1805  Daniel  Gray 
became  pastor  of  Union,  Fairforest  and  Grassy  Spring 
churches.  The  neighboring  church  of  Bethesda,  in  York 
County,  also  sent  a  large  number  of  her  sons  into  the 
gospel   ministry. 

Bethel  Congregation,  in  York  County,  had  Francis 
Cummins  as  pastor  and  teacher  of  the  church's  school 
from  1784  until  1789.  From  1796  until  1801  George 
G.  McWhorter  was  pastor  of  Bethel  and  Beersheba. 
In  1811,  James  S.  Adams,  the  beloved  shepherd,  took 
charge  of  the  flock  at  Bethel  and  continued  with  great 
success  until  1840.  In  that  year  he  was  succeeded  by 
S.  L.  Watson.  In  1842  the  church  of  Yorkville  was 
organized.  The  Bethel  Academy  was  meanwhile  train- 
ing many   ministers    for  the      churches   of   the   South. 

Near  the  headwaters  of  Tyger  River,  in  Spartan- 
burg County,  stands  old  Nazareth  Church.  The  con- 
gregation was  organized  by  Dr.  Joseph  Alexander 
about  1772,  although  a  log  house  for  worship  was 
built  before  that  time.  From  1794  until  1801,  James 
Templeton  was  shepherd  of  the  flock.  About  the  same 
time  James  Gilliland,  Jr.  conducted  a  classical  school 
in  Spartanburg,  in  which  a  number  of  preachers  were 
trained  for  their  work.  Among  the  latter  were  Sam- 
uel B.  Wilson  and  John  McElhenney.  In  April, 
1803,  Gilliland,  the  teacher,  was  ordained  as  pastor 
of  Nazareth  and  Fairview  congregations.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded in  1821  by  Michael  Dickson.  Soon  after  1833 
John  Boggs  assumed  charge  of  these  two  congregations. 
In  1843  the  Spartanburg  congregation  was  organized 
and  in  the  following  year  Z.  L.  Holmes  became  pastor 
of  the  two  churches  of  Nazareth  and  Spartanburg. 

The  Fairforest  congregation  was  organized  in  1771 
by  Rev.  Josiah  Lewis.  Among  the  founders  were  John 
Thomas  and  his  wife.     Thomas  was  one  of  the  heroes 


248  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

of  this  region  in  the  struggle  for  American  indepen- 
dence, being  the  leader  of  the  Spartanburg  regiment. 
In  1794,  William  Williamson  was  ordained  pastor.  He 
was  succeeded  in  1805  by  Daniel  Gray,  in  1817  by 
Joseph  Hillhouse,  in  1824  by  Francis  Porter  and  in 
1828  by  Daniel  L.  Gray. 

About  1789  a  congregation,  called  Hopewell,  was 
organized  near  the  town  of  Pendleton,  in  the  present 
Pendleton  County,  South  Carolina.  The  leading  mem- 
bers of  the  congregation  were  General  Andrew  Pick- 
ens and  Colonel  Robert  Anderson.  A  log  house  of 
worship  was  built  in  1791,  but  this  gave  place  in  1802 
to  a  stone  building.  Thomas  Reese  was  pastor  from 
1792  until  1796.  This  church  is  still  standing  and  is 
known  as  the  Old  Stone  Church.  The  Anderson  family 
came  to  Pendleton  County  from  the  neighborhood  of 
the  old  Stone  Church,  in  Augusta  County,  Virginia. 
Most  probably  the  idea  of  erecting  a  sanctuary  made 
of  stones  was  brought  from  Virginia  to  South  Caro- 
lina by  members  of  the  Anderson  family.  Moreover, 
John  McElhenncy,  pastor  of  the  Stone  Church  at  Lcw- 
isburg.  West  Virginia,  was  a  brother  of  James  McEl- 
henney,  who  was,  for  a  number  of  years,  pastor  of  the 
Pendleton  Stone  Church. 

Among  all  of  these  and  many  other  congrega- 
tions our  traveller  wandered  in  the  year  1800.  He 
found  many  faithful  ministers  engaged  in  the  work 
of  strengthening  the  walls  of  Zion — many  whose  names 
are  worthy,  but  which  cannot  find  a  place  in  this  record 
through  lack  of  space.  When  the  traveller  rode  into 
Columbia,  the  capital  of  South  Carolina,  he  found  David 
E.  Dunlap  established  there  as  Presbyterian  preacher. 
From  1795  until  1804,  Dunlap  continued  his  work  as 
minister,  and  then,  on  the  same  day,  he  and  his  wife  were 
called  together  into  the  presence  of  their  Redeemer.  The 
congregation  at  Columbia  was  not  completely  or- 
ganized, however,  until  1810.    Early  in  that  year,  John 


Synod  of  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia  in  1800     249 

Brown,  a  Presbyterian  minister,  who  was  also  a  teacher 
in  the  South  Carolina  College,  called  the  members  of  the 
Church  together  and  superintended  the  business  of  choos- 
ing officers.  Brown  was  elected  President  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Georgia  and,  in  1812,  Benjamin  R.  Montgom- 
ery, chaplain  of  the  college,  began  to  preach  regularly 
to  the  Presbyterian  congregation.  After  him,  in  order, 
came  the  following  pastors:  T.  C.  Henry,  Robert 
Means,  John  Rennie,  A.  W.  Leland,  John  Wither- 
spoon  and  James  H.  Thornwell.  The  latter  began  his 
ministry  in  this  church  in  the  year  1839. 

When  our  traveller  entered  Charleston  in  the  year 
1800,  he  found  the  workmen  just  bringing  to  comple- 
tion the  new  Huguenot  Church  building.  This  was  re- 
placed in  1844  by  the  present  edifice.  The  leading 
minister  in  the  city  at  that  time  was  George  Buist,  pas- 
tor of  the  First  Church,  known  as  the  Scotch  Church. 
He  was  born  in  Scotland,  educated  at  Edinburgh  and 
came  to  Charleston  as  pastor  in  1793.  Through  the 
gentleness  of  his  manner  he  won  the  hearts  of  all  whom 
he  met.  His  style  of  preaching  was  impressive  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  in  the  pulpit  he  read  his  sermons.  He 
read  them  admirably,  we  are  told,  and  "the  graces  of 
his  delivery  won  the  attention  and  conciliated  the  favor 
of  his  hearers."  Dr.  Buist  was  a  man  of  wide  learn- 
ing and,  in  1805,  he  was  made  President  of  the  College 
of  Charleston.  In  1808  a  sudden  illness  brought  his 
earthly  labors  to  an  end.  In  1809  Dr.  Buist  was 
succeeded  as  pastor  of  the  First  Church  by  John 
Buchan,  of  Scotland.  Then,  in  1813,  A.  W.  Leland 
assumed  charge  of  the  congregation,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing year  (1814)  the  present  house  of  worship  was 
built.  Arthur  Buist,  son  of  George  Buist,  preached 
for  a  number  of  years  in  the  First  Church.  In  1832, 
John  Forrest,  a  native  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  en- 
tered upon  his  long  and  useful  ministry  among  the 
people  of  this  congregation. 


250  Southern  Preshyterian  Leaders 

On  April  3,  1811,  the  present  house  of  worship 
of  the  Second  Church,  Charleston,  was  dedicated  by 
the  pastor.  Dr.  Andrew  Flinn.  The  work  of  this 
eminent  man  of  God  was  brought  to  a  close  by  his 
death  in  1820.  He  was  succeeded  in  the  pastorate 
by  T.  C.  Henry,  William  Ashmeade,  and  Thomas 
Smyth.  The  latter  began  his  long  ministry  here  in 
1832. 

In  1800,  there  were  about  twenty-six  Presbyterian 
congregations  in  Georgia,  located  in  the  upper  part  of 
the  state.  These  were  all  embraced  in  the  Presbyter-x'^ 
of  Hopewell  and  were  founded  soon  after  the  Revolu- 
tion by  various  groups  of  people  who  moved  into  that 
region  from  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas.  Some  of  the 
early  pastors  were  John  Newton,  John  Springer,  Rob- 
ert M.  Cunningham,  William  Montgomery  and  Moses 
Waddel.  Beneath  the  shade  of  a  poplar  tree,  in  the 
town  of  Washington,  Georgia,  on  July  21,  1790,  John 
Springer  was  ordained  by  the  presbytery.  He  was 
the  first  Presbyterian  minister  thus  set  apart  in  the 
region  south  of  the  Savannah  River.  The  Congrega- 
tional Church  of  Midway,  Liberty  County,  was  under 
the  pastoral  care  of  Cyrus  Gildersleeve,  from  1791 
until  1811.  He  was  succeeded  by  Murdoch  Murphy, 
Robert  Quarterman  and  I.  S.  K.  Axson.  From  this 
congregation  came  a  large  number  of  consecrated,  suc- 
cessful Presbyterian  ministers.  The  Independent 
Church,  of  Savannah,  was  founded,  as  we  have  seen, 
some  time  before  the  year  1756.  Thomas  H.  McCaule, 
one  time  principal  of  Mt.  Zion  College,  in  Winnsboro, 
South  Carolina,  founded  a  classical  school  in  Savan- 
nah and  preached  in  the  Independent  Church.  Walter 
Monteith  was  pastor  in  1797-1799,  and  in  1800,  Rob- 
ert Smith  took  charge.  Then  came  Samuel  Clarkson 
and  Henry  KoUock.  The  latter  dwelt  as  shepherd 
among  the  people  of  this  flock  from  1806  until  1819. 

In  the  year  1804,  the  Presbyterian   Church  in  the 


Synod  of  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia  in  1800     251 

city  of  Augusta,  Georgia,  was  organized  by  Washing- 
ton McKnight.  The  year  1807  marked  the  beginning 
of  the  ministerial  labors  of  John  H.  Thompson  in  this 
congregation.  In  1812,  the  present  handsome  church 
building  was  dedicated.  Four  years  later  (1816)  Dr. 
Thompson  died.  The  next  pastors  were  Mr.  Moder- 
well  and  S.  K.  Talmage.  The  latter  was  called  to 
Oglethorpe  University  and  was  afterwards  its  presi- 
dent. In  1838,  Alexander  N.  Cunningham  was  or- 
dained pastor  of  the  Augusta  Church. 

The  Presbyterian  congregation  of  Macon,  Georgia, 
was  organized  in  1826.  The  first  pastor  here  was 
Joseph  C.  Stiles,  afterwards  widely  known  as  an  effec- 
tive preacher  of  the  word. 

In  October,  1800,  three  horsemen  rode  from  North 
Carolina  to  Nashville,  Tennessee.  Thence  they  turned 
southward  over  the  "Natchez  Trail"  in  obedience  to 
the  command  of  the  Synod  of  the  Carolinas.  These 
three  were  Dr.  James  Hall,  preacher  and  soldier  of  the 
Revolutionary  period;  James  H.  Bowman  and  William 
Montgomery,  who  were  sent  forth  as  evangelists  to  the 
people  of  the  Southwest.  A  pack-horse,  bearing  an 
outfit  for  establishing  a  camp,  was  taken  with  them. 
Swollen  streams  were  crossed  by  swimming.  Their 
supply  of  food  failed,  and  during  a  part  of  the  jour- 
ney they  lived  on  corn  meal  moistened  with  water.  A 
preaching  station  was  established  on  the  Big  Black 
River,  and  at  other  places  to  the  southward.  The  first 
town  reached  by  the  evangelists  was  "Gibson's  Port," 
now  called  Port  Gibson.  Headquarters  were  estab- 
lished at  Natchez,  Mississippi,  and  the  gospel  was 
preached  during  the  winter  months  in  all  of  the  neigh- 
boring territory.  The  people  heard  them  gladly  and 
the  foundations  of  many  churches  were  laid.  In  April, 
1801,  the  citizens  of  Natchez  held  a  public  meeting  to 
express  their  gratification  at  the  presence  of  these  min- 
isters.    The  latter  turned  their  faces  homeward  and  at 


252  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

the  next  meeting  of  Synod  told  about  the  success  of 
their  work.  In  1811,  William  Montgomery  returned 
to  Mississippi,  where  he  was  made  president  of  Jeffer- 
son College,  located  in  the  town  of  Washington.  After- 
wards, for  a  period  of  thirty-seven  years  he  was  pas- 
tor of  Ebenezer  and  Union  Churches.  One  of  his  sons, 
Samuel  Montgomery,  was,  in  later  years,  pastor  of 
Union  and  Barsalem.  John  Matthews,  Hugh  Shaw, 
Daniel  Brown,  Malcolm  McNeil  and  James  Smylie 
were  also  sent  as  evangelists  into  the  Southwest.  Smylie 
conducted  a  church  school  which  became  a  fountain  of 
beneficence  among  the  people  of  this  entire  region.  He 
also  gave  instruction  to  the  negroes.  In  1818,  the 
first  presbytery  of  Mississippi  was  organized,  embrac- 
ing all  of  the  territory  lying  west  of  the  Perdido  River. 
In  1824,  three  ministers,  bearing  the  names  Sloss, 
Alexander  and  White,  preached  in  Montgomery,  Ala- 
bama. A  church  was  organized  and  in  1825,  George 
G.  McWhorter  was  chosen  pastor. 

The  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  New  Orleans  was 
established  in  1823,  as  the  result,  for  the  most  part,  of 
the  preaching  of  the  consecrated  young  evangelist,  Syl- 
vester Larned.  The  principal  pastors  of  this  flock  were 
Doctors  Joel  Parker,  John  Breckinridge  and  W.  A. 
Scott,  until  Dr.  Benjamin  M.  Palmer  began  his  work 
there  in  1854.  On  Janury  25,  1828,  James  Wilson 
Moore  rode  into  the  town  of  Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  and 
began  to  preach  the  gospel.  Later  in  the  same  year  a 
Presbyterian  Church  was  founded  here,  the  beginning 
of  the  work  of  evangelizing  the  vast  region  west  of  the 
Mississippi  River.  The  First  Presbyterian  congrega- 
tion in  the  republic  of  Texas  was  organized  by  Hugh 
Wilson,  a  son  of  Lewis  Feuilleteau  Wilson,  of  the  Old 
Concord  Church,  in  North  Carolina.  Hugh  Wilson  was 
at  work  delivering  his  message  in  the  Lone  Star  State 
when  she  entered  the  Federal  Union  in  1845. 


GEORGE  HOWE 


Facing  page  253 


CHAPTER    XXXVI. 

THOMAS    GOULDING,    GEORGE    HOWE,    AND    AARON    W. 
LELAND,     FOUNDERS     OF     COLUMBIA     THEOLOG- 
ICAL    SEMINARY. 

One  Sunday  morning  in  April,  1810,  a  young  teacher, 
Thomas  Goulding  by  name,  twenty-four  years  of  age, 
stood  up  in  the  old  Congregational  Church,  at  Midway, 
Liberty  County,  Georgia,  and  made  a  profession  of 
his  faith  in  Christ.  He  was  born  (1786)  within  the 
limits  of  the  Midway  congregation,  but  received  his 
early  education  under  private  teachers  in  Connecti- 
cut. In  1806,  he  married  Anne  Holbrook,  of  Con- 
necticut, and  in  1807,  began  to  study  law  and  to  teach 
school  in  his  native  state.  About  a  year  after  his 
public  acceptance  of  the  Christian  faith,  Goulding  gave 
up  the  plan  of  becoming  a  lawyer  and  was  received 
under  the  care  of  Harmony  Presbytery  as  a  candidate 
for  the  ministry.  In  October,  1813,  in  the  church  at 
Augusta,  Georgia,  the  Harmony  Presbytery  licensed 
him  to  preach  the  gospel.  Goulding  was  the  first  native 
licentiate  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Georgia,  or, 
as  he  himself  set  it  forth,  "the  first  Presbyterian 
preacher  born  in  the  State  of  Georgia  since  the  foun- 
dation of  the  world."  His  first  pastoral  charges  were 
at  White  Bluff  and  Lexington,  Georgia.  At  the  latter 
point,  Lexington,  in  1828,  he  was  set  apart  by  the 
Synod  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia  as  first  profes- 
sor of  theological  instruction.  In  the  same  year  (1828) 
his  young  son,  Francis  Robert  Goulding,  stood  up  in 
his  father's  church  and  acknowledged  that  he  had  be- 
come  a   Christian.      His   son,   afterwards   a  minister, 

263 


254  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

became   the   author   of   the   volume   so   widely   read   in 
this  and  other  lands,  "The  Young  Marooners." 

Let  us  now  return  to  the  period  when  Thomas 
Goulding  began  his  life  as  a  Christian.  On  the  first 
Wednesday  in  March,  1810,  a  small  body  of  ministers 
and  elders  met  in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church, 
Charleston,  and  organized  the  Presbytery  of  Harmony. 
Andrew  Flinn,  pastor  of  the  Second  Church,  Charles- 
ton, was  chosen  moderator.  One  of  the  delegates  pres- 
ent was  John  R.  Thompson,  pastor  of  the  church  of 
Augusta,  Georgia.  The  Synod  of  the  Carolinas  was  thus 
made  to  consist  of  the  following  presbyteries :  Orange, 
Concord  and  Fayetteville,  in  North  Carolina ;  South 
Carolina  Presbytery  in  the  upper  part  of  the  State 
of  the  same  name;  Hopewell  Presbytery,  in  Upper 
Georgia,  and  Harmony  Presbytery,  on  the  seacoast  of 
South  Carolina  and  Georgia.  In  November,  1813,  the 
three  presbyteries  last  named  were  organized  as  the 
Synod  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia.  The  estab- 
lishment of  Harmony  Presbytery  was  accompanied  by 
the  erection  of  three  handsome  houses  of  worship,  which 
are  still  in  constant  use  for  the  upbuilding  of  Christ's 
kingdom.  In  April,  1811,  the  present  sanctuary  of 
the  Second  Church,  Charleston,  was  dedicated;  in  May, 
1812,  the  present  building  of  the  First  Church,  Au- 
gusta, was  set  apart;  on  December  29,  1814,  the  pres- 
ent First  Church,  Charleston,  was  dedicated  to  the  wor- 
ship of  God  by  the  pastor,  Aaron  Whitney  Leland. 
The  Third  Church,  now  the  Westminster  Church,  of 
Charleston,  was  organized  in  1823,  and  Doctor  Leland 
preached  also  on  that  occasion.  The  latter  was  born 
in  Massachusetts,  in  1787,  a  lineal  descendant  of  many 
illustrious  English  Puritans  of  the  same  name.  He 
was  graduated  at  Williams  College  in  1808;  four  years 
later  he  was  ordained  as  a  preacher  by  Harmony  Pres- 
bytery and  soon  afterwards  became  pastor  of  the  First 
Church,  Charleston.     From  that  work  he  was  trans- 


Thos.  Goulding,  Geo.  Howe,  A.  W.  Leland      255 

fcrred  to  James  Island,  to  become  shepherd  of  the 
flock  in  that  place.  He  was  summoned  thence  in  1833 
to  become  professor  of  theology  in  the  Columbia 
Seminary. 

George  Howe,  like  A.  W.  Leland,  was  born  in  Mas- 
sachusetts. He  sprang  from  the  Howes,  Goulds  and 
Dwights,  of  New  England,  At  the  age  of  twelve  years, 
he  came  with  his  father  and  mother  to  live  in  Philadel- 
phia. At  the  age  of  twenty,  he  was  graduated  from 
Middleburg  College,  Vermont  (1822);  three  years 
later  he  completed  the  course  of  study  at  Andover  Sem- 
inary. After  his  ordination  to  the  ministry  (1827)  he 
was  elected  to  a  professorship  in  Dartmouth  College, 
but  ill  health  sent  him  southward,  and  in  December, 
1830,  Howe  landed  from  a  vessel  in  Charleston  Harbor. 
A  month  later,  in  January,  1831,  in  response  to  the 
call  of  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  he 
began  to  teach  Hebrew  and  Greek  to  the  students  of 
the  Theological  Seminary,  in  Columbia. 

As  early  as  1817,  the  Hopewell  Presbytery,  of  Geor- 
gia, took  the  first  step  with  reference  to  the  erection 
of  a  theological  school  in  the  cotton-planting  States. 
This  body  appointed  a  committee  to  draw  up  a  plan 
for  such  an  institution  and  in  1819  it  was  decided  to 
locate  it  at  Athens,  Georgia.  No  further  steps,  how- 
ever, were  taken  by  the  Presbytery,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing year  (1820)  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia  united  with  the  Synod  of  North  Carolina  in 
an  effort  to  endow  a  chair  in  Princeton  Seminary.  At 
that  time  there  had  been  established  in  our  Presbyterian 
Church  only  three  theological  seminaries.  These  were 
Andover,  Massachusetts,  founded  in  1806,  New  Bruns- 
wick, New  Jersey,  opened  in  1810,  and  Princeton, 
founded  in  1812.  At  Hampden  Sidney  College,  in  1812, 
President  Moses  Hoge  was  appointed  professor  of  the- 
ology by  the  Synod  of  Virginia.  A  few  years  later,  the 
Synod  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia  collected  and  paid 


256  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

into  the  treasury  of  Princeton  Seminary  the  sum  of  more 
than  $42,000. 

In  the  year  1821,  Auburn  Seminary,  in  Western 
New  York,  opened  its  doors,  and  on  January  1,  1824, 
Union  Seminary,  in  Virginia,  as  a  theological  school 
set  apart  from  Hampden  Sidney  College,  began  its 
work.  Three  months  later,  that  is,  on  April  1,  1824, 
the  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina  took  steps  to  establish 
a  classical  and  theological  institution.  The  presbytery 
itself  was  to  constitute  the  board  of  trustees,  and  the  in- 
stitution was  to  be  located  in  Pendleton  District,  in  the 
upper  part  of  South  Carolina.  The  presbytery  agreed 
to  allow  the  synod  to  assume  control  of  the  work.  The 
synod,  therefore,  decided  to  make  the  school  purely 
theological,  and  on  December  15,  1828,  it  was  deter- 
mined to  put  the  seminary  into  immediate  operation. 
Thomas  Goulding  was  appointed  professor  of  theology 
and,  during  the  year  1829,  he  taught  a  class  of  five  stu- 
dents at  his  home  in  Lexington,  Georgia.  Early  in 
January,  1830,  the  teacher  and  his  students  ni.ade  the 
journey  to  Columbia,  South  Carolina,  and  the  course  of 
instruction  was  there  continued.  Colonel  Abraham 
Blanding  procured  the  present  site  in  the  heart  of  the 
city  of  Columbia,  and  on  January  25,  1831,  Dr.  Gould- 
ing and  his  associate.  Dr.  Howe,  entered  the  present 
central  building  and  organized  the  first  regular  class, 
consisting  of  six  members.  About  two  weeks  later  the 
Society  of  Inquiry  on  Missions  was  formed.  Two  of  the 
members  of  this  first  class,  J.  Leighton  Wilson  and  James 
L.  Merrick,  afterwards  became  foreign  missionaries. 

The  spiritual  needs  of  the  entire  Southeastern  part 
of  our  country  were  resting  upon  the  hearts  of  the  men 
who  founded  Columbia  Seminary.  The  two  states  of 
South  Carolina  and  Georgia  were  at  that  time  send- 
ing large  numbers  of  their  people  southward  and  west- 
ward, as  colonists,  to  fill  up  the  fertile  regions  within 
the  borders  of  Alabama,  Mississippi,  Louisiana   and 


Tlios.  Goulding,  Geo.  Howe,  A.  W.  Leland      257 

Florida.  The  vast  territory  embraced  in  these 
six  coiiinioiiwealths,  occupied  by  a  homogeneous 
people,  was  calling  for  ministers  of  the  word.  The 
other  seminaries  were  not  sending  them.  The  lead- 
ers in  the  synod  saw  that  a  school  for  training 
preachers  nmst  be  planted  within  their  own  bounds,  and 
they  established  it  at  Columbia.  At  that  time  there 
were  10,000  members  cf  the  Presbyterian  Church  within 
this  group  of  cotton-planting  States.  Eighty  years 
later,  there  were  nearly  70,000  Presbyterian  Chris- 
tians within  the  same  territory,  a  fruitage  that  was  due 
almost  entirely  to  the  work  of  Columbia  Seminary  and 
the  labors  of  the  seven  hundred  and  fifty  candidates 
for  the  ministry  who  passed  through  her  halls  during 
that  period.  Many  of  these  men  have  labored,  of 
course,  and  with  success,  in  other  parts  of  our  country 
and  in  the  lands  across  the  sea. 

After  six  years  of  service  as  teacher  in  the  semi- 
nary, Dr.  Goulding  returned  to  the  work  of  the  pas- 
torate at  Columbus,  Georgia.  His  remaining  years 
were  filled  with  abundant  labors  until  the  end  came  in 
1848.  His  intellect  was  vigorous,  his  manners  were 
marked  by  simplicity  and  a  commanding  dignity.  He 
was  a  polished  scholar,  but  above  all  else,  he  was  the 
devout  man  of  God.  Great  physical  suffering  marked 
his  last  moments.  A  beloved  son,  upon  whose  shoul- 
der he  was  then  leaning,  heard  his  father  say,  "Come, 
Lord  Jesus,  come  quickly."  The  prayer  was  heard 
and,  in  a  moment.  Dr.  Goulding  was  at  rest. 

In  the  year  1833,  Dr.  Leland  was  summoned  from 
his  work  as  shepherd  to  become  teacher  of  theology  in 
the  seminary.  Throughout  a  period  of  thirty-one 
years  this  stalwart  man  of  God  continued  his  labors.  He 
towered  above  most  of  his  fellowmen  in  height  and 
manly  dignity.  The  courtliness  of  his  bearing  marked 
him  as  an  ambassador  from  some  great  sovereign.  And 
such  he  was, — for  he  represented  the  Lord,  our  Sov- 


S58  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

ereign,  and  with  fervid  eloquence  urged  the  heavenly 
message  upon  the  hearts  of  all  who  had  the  good 
fortune  to  sit  at  his  feet.  A  stroke  of  paralysis,  in  1863, 
brought  Dr.  Leland's  public  labors  to  a  close.  Eight 
years  later,  after  manifesting  great  patience  in  afflic- 
tion, he  passed  away. 

From  time  to  time,  after  the  beginning  thus  auspi- 
ciously made,  other  men  of  God,  filled  with  the  spirit 
of  wisdom  and  of  power,  came  to  the  seminary  to  take 
part  in  the  work  of  training  young  ministers.  Only 
their  names  can  be  set  down  at  this  point  in  our  story 
of  the  work  of  the  church:  Charles  Colcock  Jones, 
Alexander  T.  McGill,  Benjamin  M.  Palmer,  James  H. 
Thorn  well,  John  B.  Adger,  James  Woodrow,  William 
S.  Plumer,  Joseph  R.  Wilson,  John  L.  Girardeau, 
James  D.  Tadlock,  Francis  R.  Beattie,  W.  T.  Hall,  and 
others  who  are  still  dwelling  among  us.  In  the  matter 
of  efficiency  of  service  rendered  to  our  entire  church, 
what  similar  company  of  men  may  be  preferred  in  honor 
above  these  worthies  of  Columbia  Seminary.'' 

The  life  and  character  of  Dr.  George  Howe,  like  a 
golden  cord,  ran  through  the  long  period  from  1831 
to  1883  to  bind  together  in  one  body  the  teachers  and 
students  connected  with  the  Seminary.  Dr.  Howe's 
scholarship  was  accurate  in  quality  and  wide  in  range. 
The  sacred  Scriptures  in  the  Hebrew  an(i  Greek  lan- 
guages constituted  Dr.  Howe's  special  field  of  labor. 
With  unwearied  zeal,  he  continued  to  lead  young  min- 
isters into  a  deeper  knowledge  of  the  divine  messages. 
Sound  methods  of  Hebrew  and  Greek  exegesis  were 
disseminated  by  him  throughout  our  Southern  country. 
As  much  as  any  other  man  among  us,  he  labored  for 
the  maintenance  of  a  high  standard  of  ministerial 
training. 

In  1849,  in  response  to  the  call  of  the  Synod  of 
South  Carolina,  Dr.  Howe  began  to  prepare  a  history 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  within  the  borders  of  this 


Thos.  Goulding,  Geo.  Howe,  A.  W.  Leland      259 

synod.  Twenty-one  years  afterwards  (1870)  the  first 
volume  of  the  work  came  from  the  press.  With  un- 
failing patience  he  continued  the  labor  of  love  until 
the  close  of  his  life.  The  last  pages  of  the  manuscript 
of  the  second  volume  were  sent  to  the  printers  only  a 
brief  space  of  time  before  the  Lord  called  his  servant 
hence.  The  two  volumes  form  a  great  work,  worthily 
wrought  out, — a  priceless  treasure  for  the  enrichment 
of  our  church  and  a  fitting  memorial  to  the  writer, 
Dr.  Howe. 

Those  who  knew  him  best  tell  us  that  in  personal 
characteristics  he  was  first  pure,  then  gentle  and  mod- 
est, and  full  of  all  charitableness.  Strong  convictions 
dwelt  in  his  mind  and  heart,  but  over  all  the  elements 
of  his  personality  there  rested  that  beautiful  veil  known 
as  simplicity  of  character.  The  art  of  the  politician 
was  unknown  to  him.  Truth  was  always  his  aim  and 
truth  was  ever  the  pathway  followed  in  attaining  it. 

On  the  evening  of  November  4,  1881,  a  great  com- 
pany of  the  alumni  and  friends  of  the  Seminary  met 
in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Columbia.  Dr.  Ben- 
jamin INI.  Palmer,  as  chairman,  welcomed  the  members 
of  the  audience  to  the  "fiftieth  anniversary  of  our 
venerable  mother,"  the  Seminary,  and  to  "this  golden 
wedding  of  the  Senior  Professor  who  was  married  to 
her  in  his  youth,  and  has  given  to  her  the  affection  and 
toil  of  his  life."  Then  James  H.  Saye,  veteran  preacher 
of  the  gospel,  a  member  of  the  class  of  1837,  came  for- 
ward to  offer  words  of  congratulation  to  Dr.  Howe. 
The  latter  arose  to  receive  the  message  from  the  sons 
of  the  old  school.  He  used  a  crutch,  for  an  affection 
of  the  right  knee  had  made  that  member  weak.  But 
Dr.  Howe's  frame  was  massive;  his  countenance  was 
open,  with  features  that  spoke  of  intellectual  strength. 
Heavy  locks  of  hair  and  a  long  beard,  now  grown 
white,  gave  the  venerable  minister  that  personal  ap- 
pearance which  is  usually  associated  with  the  ancient 


260  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

Hebrew  patriarchs.  His  blue-gray  eyes  were  filled 
with  tears,  as  "with  unaffected  humility  and  grace," 
writes  an  eye-witness ;  in  rich  and  melting  tones,  and 
in  a  manner  simple,  but  sublime,  he  acknowledged  the 
kindness  of  his  brethren,  and  dwelt  upon  the  wisdom 
and  the  goodness  of  that  holy  providence  which  first 
led  him  to  cast  in  his  lot  with  theirs,  and  had  con- 
ducted him  through  all  the  vicissitudes  of  so  protracted 
a  term  of  labor  to  that  auspicious  hour. 

Dr.  Howe's  bodily  infirmities  were  multiplied  dur- 
ing the  last  months  of  his  life.  In  spite  of  great  suf- 
fering, he  continued  steadfastly  at  work  each  day  and 
far  into  the  night  in  order  that  he  might  finish  the 
tasks  laid  upon  him.  When  the  summons  came  he  was 
ready.  He  read  aloud  the  closing  chapters  of  the  Epistle 
to  the  Romans,  clasped  his  hands  upon  his  breast 
and  in  a  fervent  prayer  commended  his  beloved  wife 
and  "the  dear  Seminary,"  as  he  called  it,  unto  the  fath- 
erly care  of  God.  A  little  while  afterwards  he  fell 
asleep. 


CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

JOHN     FORREST    AND    THOMAS    SMYTH,     PASTORS    IN 
CHARLESTON,    SOUTH    CAROLINA. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  1832,  the  congrega- 
tions of  the  First  Church  and  of  the  Second  Church, 
Charleston,  prepared  formal  calls  and  placed  them  in 
the  hands  of  John  Forrest  and  of  Thomas  Smyth.  The 
theological  seminary,  as  we  have  just  seen,  was  then 
entering  upon  its  work  at  Columbia.  These  two  men  of 
God  became  shepherds  in  the  Charleston  field,  therefore, 
at  the  opportune  moment  when  they  could  help  to  nur- 
ture the  growing  theological  institution.  This  work  of 
nurture  and  aid  they  rendered  most  efficiently  through- 
out a  period  of  more  than  forty  years. 

John  Forrest  was  a  Scot,  born  in  Edinburgh  in 
1799,  and  trained  in  the  University  that  is  located  in 
his  native  city.  In  February,  1732,  the  First  Church, 
Charleston,  made  out  a  call  and  sent  it  across  the  sea 
to  the  young  preacher  who  was  well  spoken  of  by 
those  who  had  heard  him.  The  Presbytery  of  Edin- 
burgh laid  hands  upon  him  in  the  regular  ordination 
ceremonial.  He  came  at  once  and  began  his  work  in 
Charleston  in  October,  1832,  but  retained  his  member- 
ship in  the  Church  of  Scotland.  Faithfulness  in  the 
discharge  of  regular  duties ;  devotion  to  the  spiritual 
welfare  of  his  people;  these  qualities  m.arked  his 
daily  life.  The  church  increased  in  numbers  under 
his  guardianship.  Union  services,  in  association  with 
other  denominations,  were  inaugurated  by  Dr.  For- 
rest, and  thus  God's  kingdom  was  made  stronger.     In 

261 


262  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

times  of  sorrow  this  pastor  was  more  than  an  ordinary 
messenger  of  comfort.  His  strong  faith  and  his  eager 
sympathies  enabled  him  to  lead  troubled  souls  into  the 
pathway  of  peace. 

In  1852,  the  Charleston  Union  Presbytery  was  ad- 
mitted into  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina.  Prior  to 
that  time,  this  presbytery  had  been  an  independent 
body,  but  thenceforth  the  churches  of  this  region, 
under  the  title  of  the  Charleston  Presbytery,  formed 
a  part  of  our  General  Assembly.  Dr.  Forrest  became 
a  member  of  the  Charleston  Presbytery  and  a  solemn 
communion  service  was  held  in  his  church  to  celebrate 
the  binding  together  of  all  the  Presbyterian  elements 
of  the  tidewater  region  of  South  Carolina.  •  Into  this 
bond  of  union  the  Central  Church,  of  Charleston,  en- 
tered. This  congregation  was  organized  in  1823,  and 
William  A.  McDowell  was  the  first  shepherd  of  the 
flock.  William  C.  Dana,  a  minister  from  Massachu- 
setts, began  his  long  pastorate  in  1836.  Twelve  years 
later  (1848)  the  present  handsome  house  of  worship 
was  erected.  The  name  of  the  church  has  since  been 
changed  to  Westminster. 

Dr.  Forrest  continued  his  labors  in  the  First  Church 
until  the  summer  of  1879.  Then,  after  a  ministry  that 
had  been  extended  throughout  a  period  of  well-nigh 
forty-seven  years,  "the  silver  cord  was  loosed,"  and  he 
was  set  free  from  all  pain  and  infirmity  of  the  flesh. 
Dr.  Dana,  of  the  Westminster  Church,  delivered  an  ad- 
dress in  commemoration  of  the  work  of  Dr.  Forrest. 
A  few  months  later  (1880)  Dr.  Dana  himself  heard 
the  Master's  call  and  went  to  join  his  friend  and  col- 
league in  the  church  above. 

The  life-long  associate  of  Forrest  and  Dana  in  the 
work  in  Charleston  was  Thomas  Smyth.  As  a 
frail  young  man,  twenty-four  years  of  age,  the  latter 
took  charge  of  the  Second  Church  in  1832,  al- 
though he  was  not  formally  installed  as   pastor  until 


John  Forrest  and  Thomas  Smyth  263 

1834.  He  was  born  in  Belfast,  Ireland  (1808),  of 
Scotch  and  English  parentage,  and  received  his  aca- 
demic training  in  Belfast  College.  An  excessive  love 
of  books  marked  his  childhood  and  youth,  and  he  won 
prizes  in  every  branch  of  study  during  his  course  in 
the  college.  Young  Smyth's  superior  scholarship  was 
acknowledged  by  his  entire  class  of  nearly  one  hundred 
students  when  they  unanimously  voted  that  he  should 
receive  the  highest  academic  honors.  Near  the  close 
of  his  collegiate  course  he  gave  his  heart  to  Christ  and 
decided  to  become  a  minister.  A  beginning  of  theo- 
logical studies  was  made  at  Highbury  College,  in  Lon- 
don, and  there  his  "appetite  for  books  became  rapa- 
cious," as  he  tells  us.  He  often  sold  his  food  and  fuel 
in  order  to  secure  books.  In  the  year  1830,  he  came 
with  his  parents  across  the  Atlantic  to  New  Jersey. 
One  year  was  spent  at  Princeton  Seminary,  and  in  the 
autumn  of  1831,  he  came  to  Charleston,  South  Caro- 
lina, 

The  spring  of  the  following  year  found  him  in  the 
pulpit  of  the  Second  Church.  Nature  had  bestowed 
splendid  gifts  with  respect  to  both  intellect  and  phy- 
sical appearance,  and  these  made  their  impression  even 
at  that  early  stage  in  his  career.  He  had  a  vigorous 
and  brilliant  imagination  and  his  scholarship  became 
wide  and  accurate.  His  piety  was  fervent  and  his 
heart  was  full  of  sympathy  for  all  who  were  in  need. 
We  are  not  surprised,  therefore,  to  learn  that  his  mes- 
sages from  the  pulpit  were  marked  by  great  spiritual 
power. 

First  of  all,  Dr.  Smyth  was  an  expounder.  He 
sought  to  make  clear  to  his  people  the  fundamental 
principles  of  the  Christian  faith.  The  life  and  work 
of  Christ,  the  Psalms,  and  the  Epistles  of  the  New 
Testament  were  set  forth  in  a  long  series  of  expository 
sermons. 

Dr.   Smj'th  was   a   Missionary  Pastor.      That  is   to 


264  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

say,  he  preached  to  his  people  and  pleaded  with  them 
continuously  to  maintain  the  cause  of  missions  beyond 
the  seas.  His  enthusiasm  touched  the  hearts  of  his  own 
people  and  the  hearts  of  many  others  throughout  our 
church. 

The  training  of  a  godly  ministry  enlisted  the  most 
eager  zeal  of  Dr.  Smyth.  To  this  end  he  gave  loyal 
support  to  the  Columbia  Seminary.  With  voice,  pen 
and  purse  he  aided  in  upbuilding  this  school  of  the 
prophets.  Numerous  gifts  in  money  and  books  came 
from  himself  and  his  people.  The  chief  part  of  his 
large,  well-selected  library  has  become  the  property  of 
the  seminary. 

The  entire  series  of  duties  that  belongs  to  the  shep- 
herd of  a  flock  was  met  by  Dr.  Smyth  with  unwearied 
fidelity.  Upon  the  floor  of  the  church  court  he  was 
always  ready  with  wise  counsel;  he  was  an  able  debater 
in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  honor  and  efficiency  of 
the  church. 

As  a  standard-bearer,  however,  Dr.  Smyth  must  have 
a  large  place  in  the  esteem  and  affection  of  all  of  the 
people  of  our  church.  Evangelical  Christianity  was,  at 
that  time,  fiercely  assailed  and  Dr.  Smyth,  as  the  strong 
Christian  warrior,  delivered  battle  in  behalf  of  the  truth. 
His  pen  was  his  chief  weapon,  and  a  large  number  of 
books,  sermons,  tracts  and  pamphlets  were  put  forth. 
These  have  been  reprinted  in  our  own  time  in  ten  large 
volumes,  under  the  editorship  of  his  son-in-law.  Dr.  J. 
William  Flinn. 

The  claims  of  prelatic  and  Romish  churches  to  an 
exclusive  possession  of  the  rights  and  privileges  of  the 
church  were  advanced  with  great  boldness  and  arro- 
gance at  the  time  when  Dr.  Smyth  began  his  work  in 
Charleston.  In  1841,  therefore,  he  published  a  volume 
in  defense  of  the  Protestant  ministry  against  the  pre- 
latical    doctrine    of    apostolic    succession.       In    1843, 


John  Forrest  and  Thomas  Smyth  265 

his  volume  on  "Ecleslastical  Republicanism"  appeared. 
"All  the  principles  of  republicanism,"  he  said,  "are 
found  in  our  Presbyterian  system.  The  framers  of 
this  system,"  said  Dr.  Smyth,  "designed  that  it 
should  be  neither  a  monarchy  nor  a  democracy,  but  a 
republic,"  Proceeding  upon  this  basis  with  clear  logic 
and  great  learning,  he  advanced  to  a  demonstration  of 
the  true  liberality  and  catholicity  of  the  Presbyterian 
system  of  doctrine.  That  presbytery  and  not  prelacy 
is  the  scriptural  form  of  church  government  consti- 
tutes the  subject  of  an  important  volume  issued  in 
1844.  "The  character  of  the  church  and  its  ministry 
during  our  Lord's  continuance  with  it  was  Presbyte- 
rian and  not  prelatical,"  wrote  Dr.  Smyth.  Presby- 
ters, or  ordinary  ministers,  he  claimed,  are  "divinely 
authorized"  to  preach  the  gospel,  to  conduct  public 
worship,  to  celebrate  the  sacraments  of  baptism  and 
the  Lord's  Supper  and  to  ordain  men  to  the  work  of 
the  ministry. 

With  great  courtesy  and  dignity,  with  rhetorical 
skill  and  with  learning,  Dr.  Smyth  presented  these  and 
other  discussions.  His  books  were  widely  read  by 
members  of  various  denominations ;  the  final  effect  was 
of  lasting  benefit  to  evangelical  Christianity. 

This  Christian  warrior  bore  for  years  a  heavy  bur- 
den of  physical  pain.  Twice  he  was  stricken  with 
paralysis,  and  his  tall,  commanding  form  became 
bent,  and  he  was  forced  to  go  upon  crutches.  "I 
have  lived  from  day  to  day,"  he  wrote,  "as  a  tenant 
at  will,  looking  any  moment  for  an  ejectment  and 
change  of  residence,  I  awake  in  the  morning  asking 
myself,  'Is  it  possible  I  am  alive?'  When  worn  and 
exhausted  by  pain  and  wakefulness,  I  have  wondered 
with  a  great  amazement  what  invisible  power  held  to- 
gether a  body  and  spirit  so  willing  to  dissolve  partner- 
ship." 


2,66  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

His  suffering  seemed  never  to  affect  his  mind  and 
spirit.  Cheerfulness  marked  his  bearing  always.  His 
will  was  unconquerable.  Sometimes  he  bade  defiance  to 
his  own  bodily  pain  and  went  forth  to  his  work.  "No 
act  of  his  life,"  says  his  successor,  Dr.  Brackett,  "was 
more  positive  than  that  of  obeying  the  order  of  his 
Great  Captain  to  put  off  his  armor  and  go  up  to  re- 
ceive his  crown." 


ROBERT  HALL  MORRISON 


Facing  page  267 


CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 

ROBERT  HALL  MORRISON   FOUNDS  DAVIDSON   COLLEGE. 

On  the  first  Monday  in  Marcli,  1837,  a  company  of 
young  men  came  togetlier  near  tlie  present  site  of  Da- 
vidson College,  in  the  northern  part  of  Mecklenburg 
County,  North  Carolina.  Classical  and  mathematical 
text  books  were  opened  and  a  course  of  study  was 
begun  at  once  under  the  instruction  given  by  Robert 
Hall  Morrison,  pastor  of  Sugar  Creek  Church,  and 
Patrick  Jones  Sparrow,  pastor  of  the  church  at  Salis- 
bury. M.  D.  Johnston  took  charge  of  the  work  in 
mathematics.  Regular  work  upon  the  college  farm  con- 
stituted a  part  of  the  training  imparted  by  the  school. 
After  the  spring  session,  in  the  year  1835,  the  Con- 
cord Presbytery,  embracing  the  upper  part  of  North 
Carolina,  took  the  first  step  in  the  movement  to  es- 
tablish the  school.  Bethel  Presbytery,  composed  of 
the  Presbyterian  Churches  of  the  upper  part  of  South 
Carolina,  joined  hands  with  Concord.  Morganton 
Presbytery,  of  Western  North  Carolina,  likewise  en- 
gaged in  the  work.  The  name  Dividson  was  given  to 
the  school  established  by  these  North  and  South  Caro- 
lina Presbyterians,  in  honor  of  General  William  L.  Da- 
vidson, who  was  slain  in  battle  against  the  British 
forces  of  Cornwallis  at  Cowan's  Ford,  on  the  Catawba 
River.  The  patriotic  origin  of  the  college  is  indi- 
cated in  the  motto  which  is  incorporated  in  the  college 
seal:  Alenda  lux  ubi  orta  libertas  (Let  learning  be 
cherished  where  liberty  has  arisen).  On  the  9th  of 
November,  1836,  a  meeting  was  held  in  old  Center 
Church,  and  the  votes  of  the  three  presbyteries  named 
above   were   cast    for   Robert   Hall   Morrison    as   first 

267 


268  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

president  of  Davidson  College.  A  few  months  later  the 
president  and  his  associates  began  the  work  of  instruc- 
tion which  has  continued  with  growing  success  until  the 
present  time.  This  school  was  established  near  the  cen- 
ter of  a  territory,  in  the  upper  portions  of  North  and 
South  Carolina,  which  contained  in  1837  some  9,000  or 
10,000  Presbyterians.  Davidson  College  was  the  culmi- 
nation of  their  constructive  efforts  in  behalf  of  the 
cause  of  education  under  the  control  of  the  church. 
Within  a  brief  period  they  raised  the  sum  of  $30,000, 
and  upon  this  financial  basis  the  school  entered  upon 
its  work.  Robert  Hall  Morrison,  a  son  of  Rocky  River 
Church,  received  his  early  knowledge  of  Latin  and 
Greek  in  the  school  of  John  Makemie  Wilson,  his  pas- 
tor. In  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  young  Mor- 
rison was  a  classmate  of  James  K.  Polk,  and  at  their 
graduation  (1818)  shared  first  honor  with  the  future 
President  of  the  United  States.  He  held  pastorates 
at  Fayetteville  and  Sugar  Creek  and  preached  often 
in  the  town  of  Charlotte.  His  contributions  to  religious 
magazines  gave  promise  of  scholarship  and  literary 
skill.  "His  chaste  and  elegant  diction,"  wrote  Dr. 
Arnold  W.  Miller,  "his  dignified  mien,  his  impressive 
delivery,  his  heart  on  fire  with  the  love  of  Christ,  capti- 
vated his  hearers  and  made  his  ministry  a  ministry  of 
power." 

Dr.  Morrison  married  Mary  Graham,  daughter  of 
General  Joseph  Graham,  of  the  Revolution,  and  sister 
of  Hon.  William  A.  Graham,  who  became  governor  of 
North  Carolina,  United  States  Senator  and  Secretary 
of  the  Navy,  in  President  Fillmore's  cabinet.  A  worthy 
company  of  sons  and  daughters  blessed  the  union  of 
Robert  H.  Morrison  and  Mary  Graham.  Four  of  their 
sons  entered  the  military  service  of  the  Southern  Con- 
federacy. Moreover,  five  Confederate  officers  married 
daughters  of  the  first  president  of  Davidson  College ; 
these  were  Judge  A.  C.  Avery,  General  Rufus  Barringer, 


Robert  H.  Morrison  Founds  Davidson  College  269 

General  D.  H.  Hill  and  Colonel  John  E.  Brown,  of 
North  Carolina,  and  General  Stonewall  Jackson,  of 
Virginia. 

When  Dr.  Morrison  was  fornuillj  inaugurated  he 
made  an  address  which  contained  the  following  an- 
nouncement of  principles : — 

"Religious  instruction  is  not  only  important,  but 
indispensable  in  education.  Religious  instruction 
should  be  held  where  God  has  placed  it  as  paramount 
to  everything  else.  The  Bible  must  be  supreme  in  seats 
of  learning,  if  their  moral  atmosphere  is  to  be  kept 
pure.  Learning  should  be  imbued  with  the  spirit  of 
heaven  to  give  it  moral  power." 

He  said  further:  "Education  without  moral  prin- 
ciple only  gives  men  intelligence  to  do  evil.  Let  any 
system  of  education  prevail  which  renounces  God  and 
disowns  the  Bible  and  how  long  would  magistrates  be 
honored,  parents  obeyed,  truth  spoken,  property  safe 
or  life  secure.'"' 

In  concluding  the  address,  he  referred  to  the  first 
college  building,  then  already  erected,  as  "a  goodly 
temple  to  God,  standing  in  the  midst  of  this  grove,  a 
just  emblem  that  the  gospel  to  be  preached  in  it  is 
the  main  spring  to  the  whole  system." 

It  was  a  worthy  beginning  of  a  noble  work.  A  mul- 
titude of  young  men  has  already  received  in  the  halls 
of  this  school,  within  the  limits  of  less  than  a  century  of 
labor,  the  inspiration  that  comes  from  high  Christian 
ideals.  An  increasing  number  of  these  have  been  led 
to  devote  their  energies  to  the  work  of  the  gospel  minis- 
try. Thus,  the  temple  of  learning,  dedicated  to  God, 
by  Robert  Hall  Morrison,  continues  to  be  an  efficient 
agency  of  the  church  and  a  fountain  of  blessing  to  the 
people  of  the  entire  country. 

In  1840  Dr.  Morrison  withdrew  himself  from  the 
work  of  teaching.  On  account  of  the  weak  state  of  his 
health  he  retired  to  his  farm,  Cottage  Home,  in  Lin- 


270  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

coin  County,  North  Carolina,  and  remained  there  until 
death  came  in  1889.  His  successor  as  president  of 
Davidson  was  Dr.  Samuel  Williamson  (1841-1854;),  a 
native  of  York  County,  South  Carolina.  He  received 
his  classical  training  at  the  College  of  South  Carolina, 
studied  theology  under  Rev.  James  Adams,  and  about 
1822  became  pastor  of  Providence  Church,  North  Caro- 
lina. 

In  1840  he  was  appointed  professor  of  mathe- 
matics in  Davidson  College.  The  following  year  marked 
his  promotion  to  the  presidency,  a  position  which  he 
filled  with  credit  and  success.  Through  toil  and  self- 
denial  and  good,  sound  judgment  he  brought  the  college 
through  a  period  of  great  difficulty,  and  ushered  it  into 
an  era  of  wide  success. 

During  the  period  1855-1861  Dr.  Drury  Lacy  was 
president  of  the  college.  He  was  born  near  Hampden- 
Sidney  College,  in  Virginia  (1802)  and  received  his 
classical  preparation  in  the  school  conducted  by  his 
father.  Rev.  Drury  Lacy.  The  latter,  as  we  have  seen, 
was  the  friend  and  associate  of  Archibald  Alexander 
and  John  Holt  Rice.  The  son,  Drury,  completed  the 
course  of  study  at  Hampden-Sidney  College  in  1822, 
taught  school  for  a  series  of  years,  and  finally  went 
forth  from  Union  Seminary  in  1832.  His  principal 
pastorates  were  at  New  Berne  and  Raleigh,  North  Car- 
olina. Fervent  piety  and  deep  sympathy  were  joined 
in  beautiful  harmony  in  his  character.  A  nephew 
wrote  of  him  as  follows :  "Uncle  Drury  is  about  the  best 
hearer  in  the  world.  He  leans  forward  and  drinks  in 
with  his  whole  face  and  form  and  all  his  senses.  He  re- 
flects every  emotion,  beaming  on  you  if  you  are  cheer- 
ful, and  weeping  if  you  are  tender.  Even  then  he  does 
not  hide  his  face  with  a  handkerchief,  but  beams  on,  and 
lets  the  big  honest  tears  roll  and  take  care  of  them- 
selves. If  I  had  a  whole  audience  of  Uncle  Drurys,  I 
should  think  I  was  the  greatest  orator  in  the  world.     If 


Robert  H.  Morrison  Founds  Davidson  College  271 

every  face  were  such  a  mirror  of  emotion,  the  speaker 
who  stood  in  the  focus  would  be  consumed." 

During  his  pastorate  at  New  Berne,  young  Moses 
Drury  Hoge,  a  nephew,  dwelt  for  a  time  in  Dr.  Lacy's 
home,  and  was  there  prepared  for  college.  Dr.  Hoge  in 
later  years  wrote  the  following  about  his  Uncle  Drury 
Lacy :  "He  is  without  doubt  the  best  specimen  of  a  man 
I  ever  saw;  frank,  generous,  sincere,  affectionate;  but 
his  finest  quality  is  his  perfect  freedom  from  dissimu- 
lation or  artifice  of  any  sort.  He  is  entirely  transpar- 
ent. He  reminds  me  of  some  deep,  pure  river,  through 
whose  clear  depths  one  may  look  and  see  pearls  and 
gems  sparkling." 

The  presence  of  such  a  man  in  the  president's  chair 
at  Davidson  College  instinctively  drew  the  confidence  of 
all  men  toward  the  school.  In  the  first  year  of  Dr. 
Lacy's  presidency.  Maxwell  Chambers,  Esq.,  of  Salis- 
bury, North  Carolina,  made  to  the  college  a  gift  of  a 
quarter  of  a  million  dollars.  By  means  of  this  fund, 
the  main  college  building,  with  its  massive  pillars,  was 
erected,  apparatus  and  cabinets  were  secured,  and  new 
members  were  added  to  the  force  of  teachers. 

Students  came  in  increasing  numbers  to  gain  benefit 
from  these  educational  agencies  and  to  witness  the 
beauty  of  holiness  as  it  was  manifested  in  the  life  and 
work  of  President  Lacy.  His  manners  were  polished 
and  his  scholarship  was  of  high  grade.  The  college 
was  recognized  as  a  school  of  high  rank  because  of  the 
moral  and  intellectual  power  of  the  man  who  directed 
its  work. 

Dr.  Lacy  went  to  the  field  of  war  as  a  Confederate 
chaplain.  Afterwards,  throughout  a  long  period  of 
years,  he  taught  school  at  Raleigh.  One  day  in  the 
year  1884  he  returned  from  a  walk,  lay  down  to  take 
a  rest,  went  to  sleep  and  awoke  in  the  presence  of  his 
Lord. 

During  the  period  of  warfare,  1861-1866,  Dr.  John 


272  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

L.  Kirkpatrick,  a  native  of  Mecklenburg  County,  North 
Carolina,  was  President  of  Davidson  College.  Dr.  Kirk- 
patrick had  a  varied  experience  as  pastor  and  editor  be- 
fore entering  the  Davidson  field. 

The  students  were  few  in  number  in  this  time  of  storm 
and  stress,  and  at  the  close  of  it  the  finances  of  the 
school  were  almost  exhausted.  When  Dr.  Kirkpatrick 
was  invited  to  assume  the  chair  of  Moral  Philosophy  at 
Washington  College,  in  Virginia,  Dr.  George  Wilson 
McPhail  became  President  of  Davidson  (1867-'71).  He 
was  a  native  of  Norfolk,  Virginia,  and  for  a  short  period 
served  as  president  of  Lafayette  College,  Pennsylvania. 

Out  of  the  labors  and  prayers  of  these  founders 
sprang  the  modern  Davidson  College.  Her  efficient 
work  in  imparting  a  liberal  education  in  immediate  con- 
nection with  wise  religious  training  is  known  of  all  men. 
This  work  seems  to  show  us  that  the  Church,  acting 
through  the  College,  is  still  able  to  furnish  her  sons  with 
that  physical  and  intellectual  and  spiritual  preparation 
that  brings  success  in  every  field  of  human  activity.  In 
addition  to  this,  as  the  crown  of  her  own  labors,  David- 
son College  can  point  to  a  great  multitude  of  her  sons 
who  have  strengthened  and  extended  the  Church  herself 
through  their  ministrations  as  preachers  of  the  gospel. 


DANIEL  BAKER 


Facing  page   273 


CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

DANIEL   BAKER,    EVANGELIST   OF   THE   SOUTH   AND    SOUTH- 
WEST, 

The  tenth  day  of  August,  1830,  marked  a  memorable 
era  in  the  life  of  Daniel  Baker.  At  an  early  hour  that 
morning  he  went  out  of  his  house  with  Dr.  Payson's 
Memoirs  in  his  hand.  After  walking  through  a  stretch 
of  woods  near  the  city  in  which  he  was  then  living, 
namely,  Savannah,  Georgia,  Dr.  Baker  found  a  lonely 
burial  ground.  He  entered  the  place  and  sat  down 
under  the  shade  of  a  tree,  near  a  brick  tomb,  for  he  had 
decided  to  spend  the  day  there  in  prayer  and  fasting 
and  meditation.  His  mind  and  heart  were  disturbed  by 
the  fact  that  his  ministerial  labors  were  not  receiving  the 
blessing  of  God.  "I  know  not,"  he  wrote  in  his  journal 
that  day,  "that  a  single  individual  has  been  awakened 
under  my  preaching  for  six  months  past.  It  will  not  do 
to  live  on  at  this  poor  dying  rate.    Lord,  revive  me !" 

The  cry  of  his  heart  found  an  answer.  The  lonely 
burial  ground  became  to  him  as  the  house  of  God.  Pay- 
son's  Memoirs  furnished  him  with  the  idea  of  a  prayer- 
meeting  held  in  behalf  of  "those  for  whom  prayer  might 
be  specially  desired."  Just  one  week  later  he  held  a 
meeting  of  this  kind.  In  response  to  invitations  given  a 
day  or  two  in  advance,  forty-six  notes  were  sent  to  him. 
These  were  all  read  to  the  congregation.  Some  of  these 
letters  were  from  parents,  "entreating  that  prayers 
might  be  made  for  their  dear  unconverted  children." 
Some  were  from  members  "praying  for  the  conversion 
of  their  brothers  and  sisters."  A  husband  desired  the 
conversion  of  his  wife;  a  sinner  longed  for  the  conver- 
sion  of  his  own   soul;  an  unconverted  wife  asked  the 

27s 


274  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

people  of  God  to  pray  for  the  salvation  of  herself  and 
her  husband.  "I  put  in  a  note  myself,"  writes  Dr.  Ba- 
ker, "requesting  the  prayers  of  my  people  for  me ;  that 
the  Lord  would  give  me  a  more  intense  love  for  souls, 
and  signal  success  to  my  labors." 

Through  the  agency  of  these  prayers  the  hearts  of 
many  were  melted.  Early  in  the  following  year  (1831) 
a  series  of  services  was  held  in  Dr.  Baker's  church,  with 
preaching  three  times  a  day.  The  work  of  grace  ran 
throughout  the  city  of  Savannah,  and  as  many  as  two 
hundred  and  fifty  persons  were  led  into  Christ's  king- 
dom. 

At  once  Dr.  Baker  was  invited  to  preach  in  various 
small  towns  along  the  Atlantic  Coast  near  Savannah. 
A  wondrous  revival  of  religion  swept  throughout  that 
region  wherever  he  preached  the  word.  "Never,  surely, 
since  the  days  of  the  Apostles,"  wrote  one  who  heard 
Dr.  Baker  at  that  time,  "has  more  fervid  zeal,  or  ardent 
piety,  or  untiring  labor,  been  devoted  by  a  Christian 
minister  to  his  cause.  For  ten  unwearied  days,  from 
morning  until  nine  at  night,  have  we  heard  the  strongest 
and  most  impassioned  appeals  to  the  heads  and  hearts 
of  his  hearers.  All  that  is  terrible  or  beautiful ;  all  that 
is  winning  or  appalling;  all  that  could  steal  and  charm 
and  soothe  the  heart,  or  shake  its  careless  security  and 
command  its  attention  to  the  truths  of  religion,  we  have 
seen  pressed  upon  our  community  with  an  earnest- 
ness, energy  and  affectionate  persuasiveness  almost  ir- 
resistible. Politics  were  forgotten ;  business  stood  still ; 
the  shops  and  stores  were  shut  and  the  schools  closed; 
one  subject  only  appeared  to  occupy  all  minds  and  en- 
gross all  hearts.  The  church  was  filled  to  overflowing. 
When  the  solemn  stillness  was  broken  by  the  voice  of  the 
preacher  citing  the  impenitent  to  appear  before  the 
judgment-seat  of  heaven,  reproving,  persuading,  im- 
ploring by  the  most  thrilling  appeals  to  every  prin- 
ciple of  his  nature ;  when  crowds  moved  forward  and  fell 


Daniel  Baker  275 

prostrate  at  the  foot  of  the  altar  and  the  rich  music  of 
hundreds  of  voices  and  the  solemn  accents  of  prayer 
rose  over  the  kneeling  multitude,  it  was  not  in  human 
hearts  to  resist  the  influence  that  awoke  its  sympathies 
and  spoke  its  purest  and  most  elevated  policy." 

"  'There  stood  the  messenger  of  Truth ;  there  stood 
the  legate  of  the  skies.'  " 

Multitudes  were  brought  into  the  churches  of  South 
Carolina  and  Georgia  as  the  result  of  Dr.  Baker's 
preaching.  Eight  of  these  converts  became  ministers 
of  the  gospel.  So  manifest  was  the  hand  of  God  upon 
him  that  Dr.  Baker  at  once  gave  up  the  pastoral  care  of 
the  Independent  Church,  of  Savannah,  and  entered  the 
field  as  an  evangelist. 

The  story  of  the  early  life  of  Daniel  Baker  is  soon 
told.  He  was  born  in  1791,  a  son  of  Christian  parents, 
in  the  old  Midway  congregation  in  Georgia.  As  a  lad 
of  about  fourteen  years  he  went  to  Savannah,  mounted 
upon  a  bale  of  cotton  in  a  cart.  In  that  city  he  found 
work  as  a  clerk  in  a  store.  Soon  afterwards  he  became 
a  Christian,  and  decided  that  he  would  attempt  to 
preach  the  gospel.  In  the  year  1811  he  entered  Hanip- 
den-Sidney  College.  Two  years  later  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Junior  Class  at  Princeton.  In  that  institution, 
among  one  hundred  and  forty-five  students,  he  found 
only  two  who  were  willing  to  join  him  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  a  prayer-meeting.  Out  of  this  sprang  a  relig- 
ious revival;  fifty  of  the  students  were  converted  and 
twenty  of  these  became  ministers  of  the  gospel. 

In  the  year  1815  Mr.  Baker  took  up  his  residence  in 
Winchester,  Virginia,  expecting  to  study  theology 
under  the  direction  of  Dr.  William  Hill.  The  only 
book  placed  in  Baker's  hand  by  his  teacher  was  Butler's 
Analog  I/.  In  addition  he  studied  the  Shorter  Cate- 
chism and  the  Bible,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1816  he  was 
licensed  to  preach.  "But  I  must  confess,"  writes  Ba- 
ker, "that  I  was  by  no  means  prepared." 


276  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

In  1818  Daniel  Baker  became  pastor  of  the  churches 
in  Harrisonburg  and  New  Erection.  He  also  taught 
school,  and  one  of  his  pupils  was  Gessner  Harrison,  who 
became  afterwards  a  famous  teacher  in  the  University 
of  Virginia.  In  1821  Dr.  Baker  entered  a  larger  field 
as  pastor  of  the  Second  Church  of  Washington  City. 
President  John  Quincy  Adams  and  General  Andrew 
Jackson  were  among  the  members  of  his  congregation 
in  that  place;  they  showed  the  young  preacher  many 
marks  of  their  respect.  The  year  1828  marked  his  set- 
tlement in  Savannah  as  successor  of  Dr.  Kollock  in  the 
Independent  Church,  but  in  1831,  as  we  have  seen,  he 
gave  up  this  attractive  pastorate,  with  its  comfortable 
salary,  and  became  a  home  missionary.  In  this  work 
he  received  only  a  moderate  income,  barely  sufficient  for 
the  support  of  his  family.  The  ingathering  of  souli^ 
however, — the  abundance  of  that  harvest, — brought 
gladness  to  his  spirit.  Within  the  period  of  two  years 
after  leaving  his  pastorate  he  led  as  many  as  two  thou- 
sand five  hundred  persons  to  acknowledge  Christ  as 
Saviour.  This  result  was  accomplished  through  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel  regularly  three  times  a  day 
during  the  revivals.  His  method  of  speaking  was  the 
colloquial.  The  utmost  simplicity  and  the  highest  de- 
gree of  earnestness  marked  the  manner  of  Dr.  Baker  in 
the  pulpit.  His  discourses  were  filled  with  stories  and 
illustrations.  Intensity  of  conviction  multiplied  the 
power  with  which  he  spake, — a  power  that  proceeded 
from  the  Spirit  who  dwelt  within  him. 

"He  acted  as  though  he  felt  in  the  inmost  recesses  of 
his  heart  that  he  was  an  evangelist,  an  apostle  sent  forth 
with  the  commission  of  his  Master." 

On  one  occasion  an  irreligious  man  determined  to  go 
to  the  door  of  the  church  in  which  Dr.  Baker  was  con- 
ducting services.  He  wished  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the 
preacher  about  whom  nearly  everybody  in  that  com- 
munity was  speaking.     Taking  some  of  his  comrades 


Daniel  Baker  277 

with  him,  he  reached  the  door  at  the  moment  when  Dr. 
Baker  was  leading  the  congregation  in  prayer.  After 
listening  a  few  moments,  the  man  whispered  to  his  as- 
sociates :  "That  man  prays  as  if  he  were  really  talking 
with  God."  He  had  come  to  scoff,  but  he  remained  to 
pray. 

In  the  summer  of  1834  Dr.  Baker  conducted  revivals 
in  the  eastern  part  of  Virginia.  He  then  took  his  family 
into  Ohio  with  the  expectation  of  remaining  in  that 
state.  A  wide  circuit  was  made  and  the  gospel  was 
preached  in  many  towns  and  villages,  but  the  full  bless- 
ing from  heaven  seemed  to  be  withheld.  The  following 
entry  in  Dr.  Baker's  journal  throws  some  light  upon  the 
situation:  "Finding  myself  in  the  midst  of  rabid  aboli- 
tionists who  poured  almost  unmeasured  abuse  upon  my 
Southern  friends,  I  felt  myself,  as  it  were,  in  a  nest  of 
hornets.  Although  I  was  myself  no  slaveholder,  yet  I 
was  no  abolitionist.  I  verily  believed  that  the  relation 
of  master  and  slave  was  recognized  in  the  Bible,  and 
that  ecclesiastical  bodies  have  no  right  to  legislate  upon 
the  subject.  Pained  by  the  harsh  remarks  which  poured 
into  my  ear  from  day  to  day,  I  became  very  restless  and 
wished  to  return  to  the  South  again.  Providentially 
I  received  at  this  time  an  invitation  to  labor  as  a  mis- 
sionary in  Kentucky.  Accordingly,  leaving  Ohio,  I 
went  to  Kentucky,  my  first  point  being  Danville." 

The  church  at  Frankfort,  Kentucky,  called  Dr.  Ba- 
ker to  become  pastor,  and  this  office  he  filled  for  nearly 
three  years.  Another  pastorate  followed  at  Tuska- 
loosa,  Alabama.  Revival  services,  attended  with  mani- 
fold blessings,  were  conducted  at  Memphis,  Mobile,  New 
Orleans  and  other  strategic  points  in  the  Mississippi 
Valle3\  Early  in  the  year  1840  he  embarked  on  a 
steamer  at  New  Orleans,  and  after  a  brief  journey 
caught  his  first  glimpse  of  Galveston.  He  went  ashore 
and  began  to  laj^  foundations  in  behalf  of  the  Master 
in  the  vast  region  known  as  Texas. 


278  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

On  April  3,  1840,  a  small  body  of  presbyters,  con- 
sisting of  three  ministers  and  an  elder,  met  in  Chris- 
man's  schoolhouse,  in  the  little  town  of  Independence, 
near  the  Brazos  River.  The  ministers  were  Hugh  Wil- 
son, a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  member  at  that 
time  of  South  Alabama  Presbytery;  John  McCullough, 
of  New  Jersey,  and  W.  Y.  Allen,  of  Tennessee.  The 
elder  was  John  McFarland,  of  Independence,  Texas. 
These  four  organized  the  Presbytery  of  Brazos,  the  first 
presbytery  established  in  Texas.  Dr.  Baker,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Tuskaloosa  Presbytery,  was  invited  to  sit  in  con- 
ference with  the  members  of  the  new  organization.  The 
subject  under  consideration  was  the  building  of  a  Pres- 
byterian college  in  Texas.  A  commanding  eminence 
near  the  home  of  Hugh  Wilson  was  chosen  as  a  site  for 
the  college,  and  Dr.  Baker  began  at  once  to  ask  for 
subscriptions. 

Dr.  Baker  came  again,  however,  to  the  eastern  bank 
of  the  Mississippi  to  establish  a  home  for  his  family. 
For  several  years  he  was  pastor  at  Holly  Springs,  Mis- 
sissippi. At  the  same  time  he  held  revival  services  in 
Nashville,  Vicksburg,  St.  Louis  and  at  various  other 
points  in  the  great  Valley.  The  call  of  the  Southwest 
was  ever  in  his  ears,  and  one  afternoon  in  June,  1848, 
he  sailed  into  Matagorda  Bay.  Going  ashore  at  Lavaca, 
Texas,  he  found  the  people  eager  to  hear  the  word  of 
life.  That  very  night  he  spoke  to  a  crowded  house. 
Hungry  souls  were  found  everywhere,  and  Dr.  Baker 
made  his  way  westward,  riding  alone  across  vast  plains, 
sleeping  under  the  sky  with  wild  beasts  prowling  all 
about  him,  entering  small  towns  and  gathering  audi- 
ences by  his  own  personal  invitation.  His  voice  was 
heard  in  Austin,  the  capital  of  Texas.  He  journeyed 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Kio  Grande  and  began  there  an  evan- 
gelistic campaign  which  carried  him  into  every  hamlet 
along  that  stream.  He  even  crossed  the  river  and  spent 
a  brief  period  of  time  in  Mexico.     He  spake  as  the 


Daniel  Baker  279 

propliet  of  God  and  men  everywhere  gave  him  heed. 
Hundreds  were  led  to  Christ,  and  this  was  sufficient  satis- 
faction to  Dr.  Baker  for  days  and  nights  of  hunger, 
fatigue  and  sickness.  His  energy  was  marvelous.  His 
faith  never  failed. 

In  1849,  the  presbytery  established  their  college  in 
the  town  of  Huntsville  and  Dr.  Baker  was  appointed  to 
the  office  of  president.  He  made  six  journeys  through 
the  states  to  raise  money  for  the  school,  which  was 
named  Austin  College  in  honor  of  Stephen  F.  Austin, 
the  Texas  pioneer.  Many  thousands  of  acres  of  land 
were  given  and  he  collected  the  sum  of  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  in  money.  "The  one  idea  of  its  founders, 
that  for  which  they  wept  and  prayed  and  toiled  and  gave 
of  their  means,  was  that  it  might  be  an  institution  wherein 
there  might  be  raised  up  for  Texas,  generation  after  gen- 
eration, a  native  ministry.  Palsied  be  the  hand  which  shall 
ever  cast  a  ballot  to  alienate  the  school  in  any  way  from 
this  the  main  purpose  of  its  existence."  The  college  was 
afterwards  removed  to  the  town  of  Sherman  and  there 
it  has  continued  to  furnish  a  godly  ministry  for  the 
Texas  field.  Under  the  guiding  hand  of  S.  M.  Luckett, 
the  college  was  made  larger  and  stronger.  A  little  more 
than  fifty  years  after  the  founding  of  Austin  College 
there  was  a  body  of  25,000  Presbyterians  in  Texas,  the 
strong  theological  seminary  located  at  Austin,  the 
Presbyterian  College  for  girls  at  Milford  and  Daniel 
Baker  College  at  Brownwood.  These  are  some  of  the 
fruits  that  have  grown  in  large  measure  out  of  the  labors 
of  Daniel  Baker.  When  the  news  of  the  death  of  this 
man  of  God  was  announced  to  the  legislature  of  the 
state,  then  in  session  at  Austin  (1857),  both  branches 
of  that  body  adjourned  at  once  as  an  expression  of 
esteem  for  one  whom  they  called  a  "public  benefactor." 
The  title  which  he  asked  his  son  to  carve  on  his  head- 
stone was  this :    "Daniel  Baker,  Preacher  of  the  Gospel." 


CHAPTER    XL. 

JOHN  MCEI.HENNEY,  THE  APOSTLE  OF  WESTERN  VIRGINIA. 

In  the  month  of  March,  1808,  a  tall,  slender  young 
man,  with  long,  oval  face,  clear  blue  eyes  and  a  nose 
like  the  eagle's  beak,  rode  through  the  passes  of  the 
central  Alleghany  range  and  entered  the  wide  upland 
region  now  called  Monroe  County,  in  Western  Virginia. 
In  the  first  house  in  which  he  sought  shelter,  the  young 
man  preached  a  sermon.  The  journey  was  again  taken 
up  and  in  the  courthouse  in  the  little  town  of  Union  the 
young  preacher  delivered  his  gospel  message.  He  then 
pressed  northward  across  the  beautiful  mountain  stream 
known  as  Greenbrier  River  and  his  voice  was  next  heard 
preaching  the  gospel  in  the  town  of  Lewisburg,  in  the 
County  of  Greenbrier.  The  preacher  continued  his 
journey  westward,  delivering  the  gospel  message  at 
various  points  in  the  Kanawha  Valley,  even  as  far  as  the 
Ohio  River.  Turning  eastward  again,  he  rode  through 
the  mountains  to  the  Valley  of  Virginia  to  sit  with  his 
brethren  of  the  Lexington  Presbytery  in  the  old  Timber 
Ridge  Church.  With  their  consent  he  came  once  more 
to  the  Greenbrier  country  and  on  the  first  Sunday  in 
June,  1808,  preached  again  in  the  stone  church  at  Lewis- 
burg. In  this  manner  began  the  work  of  John  Mc- 
Elhenney  as  shepherd  of  the  two  flocks  at  Lewisburg 
and  Union. 

John  JNIcElhenney  was  born  in  the  Waxhaws  com- 
munity. South  Carolina,  in  1781.  His  father  was  a 
Scot  from  Ireland,  who  bore  an  honorable  part  in  the 
war  of  the  Revolution  and  died  when  John  was  an  infant. 
An  elder  brother,  James  McElhenney,  took  charge  of 

280 


John  McElhenney  281 

John's  education.  The  latter  sat  at  the  feet  of  James 
Hall  of  North  Carolina,  and  of  James  GilHland,  pastor 
and  teacher  at  Nazareth  Church,  South  Carolina.  In 
Gilliland's  school  Samuel  B.  Wilson,  afterwards  pastor 
at  Fredericksburg,  Virginia,  was  a  fellow-student  with 
John  McElhenney.  When  INIcElhenney  turned  his  steps 
towards  Yale  College  he  found  that  school  closed  by 
reason  of  an  epidemic  of  yellow-fever.  In  1802,  there- 
fore, he  joined  his  schoolmate,  Samuel  B.  Wilson,  at 
Washington  Academy  in  Virginia.  For  the  space  of  six 
years  he  studied  Greek  and  Latin  under  Daniel  Blain 
and  the  Bible  and  theology  under  President  George  A. 
Baxter.  In  February,  1808,  Lexington  Presbytery 
laid  hands  upon  the  head  of  McElhenney  and  bade  him 
cross  the  mountains  into  the  valley  of  the  Greenbrier. 
In  that  journey  we  have  already  followed  him  to  the 
Stone  Church  of  Lewisburg.  There,  in  the  summer  of 
1809,  Dr.  Baxter  delivered  one  of  his  solemn  discourses 
and  formally  installed  INIcElhenney  in  the  office  of 
pastor. 

About  the  same  time,  the  elder  brother,  James  Mc- 
Elhenney, became  pastor  of  the  Old  Stone  Church*  near 
the  present  Clemson  College  in  South  Carolina,  and 
there,  m  1812,  he  passed  away.  His  youngest  daughter, 
Emily,  became  the  mother  of  the  Southern  poet,  Paul 
H.  Haj^ne. 

The  region  in  which  John  McElhenney  became  pastor 
was  at  first  a  part  of  Augusta  County,  Virginia.  About 
the  year  1751,  John  Lewis  and  his  son  Andrew  set  forth 
from  the  Valley  of  Virginia  to  explore  the  country  west 
of  the  mountains.  On  the  bank  of  a  clear  stream,  John 
Lewis  became  entangled  in  a  thicket  of  vines.     For  this 

*Some  members  of  the  Anderson  family  removed  from  the 
neighborhood  of  tlie  Stone  Church,  Augusta  County,  Virginia, 
to  the  present  Pendleton  County,  South  Carolina.  In' the  latter 
place  about  the  year  1802  they  helped  to  build  the  Stone  Church 
of  which  .James  McElhenny  was  pastor.  Perhai)s  they  carried 
with  them  from  Augusta  the  idea  of  a  sanctuary  built  "of  stone 
See  page  248. 


282  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

reason  he  named  the  stream  Green-brier  River.  Soon 
afterwards  a  number  of  Scotch-Irish  families  removed 
from  the  Valley  and  built  homes  near  this  river.  Among 
the  early  settlers  were  the  families  of  McClanachan, 
Stuart,  Arbuckle,  Withrow,  Gibson,  Renick,  McClure, 
Mathews,  Irwin,  Hunter,  Anderson  and  others.  For 
protection  against  the  Indians  a  fort  was  built  and 
named  Camp  Union.  From  this  fort,  as  we  have  al- 
ready seen.  General  Andrew  Lewis  set  forth  in  the  fall 
of  1774  to  deliver  battle  against  the  Indians  at  Point 
Pleasant.  In  the  army  of  Lewis  there  were  two  com- 
panies of  riflemen  from  the  settlements  on  the  Green- 
brier, led  by  Robert  McClanachan  and  John  Stuart. 
In  1777  a  county  was  laid  off  and  named  Greenbrier, 
after  the  river.  Scotch-Irish  settlers  from  Augusta 
County  continued  to  pour  in,  and  Camp  Union  received 
the  name  Lewisburg  in  honor  of  Andrew  Lewis.  Colonel 
John  Stuart  built  a  house  of  stone  on  the  main  street 
of  the  town  and  assigned  it  to  the  county  to  be  used  as 
a  court  house.  In  1796,  Colonel  Stuart  and  his  wife, 
Agatha,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Lewis,  erected  in  Lewis- 
burg, at  their  own  expense,  the  Stone  Church,  which  is 
still  standing  in  all  of  its  original  strength.  It  was 
a  square  structure  of  grey  limestone,  with  a  sounding- 
board  hung  above  the  pulpit.  The  gallery  was  reserved 
for  the  colored  people. 

John  McElhenney's  field  of  labor  extended  from  the 
summit  of  the  Alleghenies  to  the  Ohio  River,  a  region 
embracing  the  chief  part  of  the  present  commonwealth 
of  West  Virginia.  John  McCue  of  Augusta  County 
had  founded  the  three  churches  of  Lewisburg,  Spring 
Creek  and  Union,  and  Benjamin  Grigsby  of  Augusta 
was  their  next  shepherd.  McElhenney  took  charge  of 
these  three  flocks,  and  after  the  space  of  more  than  sixty- 
two  years  under  his  pastorate  the  number  of  members 
had  become  a  multitude. 

At  the  morning  hour  on  Sunday  he  would  preach  to 


\ 


John  McElhenney  283 

the  flock  at  Lcwisburg.  After  the  sermon  he  would 
mount  his  faithful  horse  and  ride  at  a  steady  pace  to 
Union,  twenty  miles  away.  There  he  would  preach  at 
the  close  of  the  same  day  to  the  members  of  his  second 
flock.  Side  journeys  in  great  number  were  made  by 
this  apostle  on  horseback.  Over  great  mountains  and 
through  deep,  swift  mountain  streams  he  urged  his 
horse  in  the  work  of  planting  new  churches.  Through 
his  own  preaching  and  through  the  work  of  men  trained 
by  him,  congregations  were  organized  at  Parkersburg, 
Tygart's  Valley,  Point  Pleasant,  Charleston,  the  present 
capital  of  the  state,  and,  also,  near  the  headwaters  of 
the  Greenbrier.  In  this  manner  he  claimed  for  Presby- 
terianism  the  entire  region  of  Western  Virginia. 

In  the  autumn  of  1808,  six  months  after  his  first 
entrance  into  the  Greenbrier  Valley,  the  pastor  of  the 
church  established  a  school  under  the  shadow  of  the 
stone  sanctuary  at  Lewisburg.  For  many  years  Dr. 
McElhenney  himself  was  the  principal  teacher.  After- 
wards he  committed  the  school  unto  faithful  men  who 
continued  the  good  work.  From  this  academy  came 
forth  many  who  have  rendered  great  service  among  their 
countrymen.  Lawyers,  physicians,  merchants  and  min- 
isters were  trained  by  McElhenney.  Among  the  preach- 
ers who  sat  at  his  feet  in  the  school  room  were  Dr.  Henry 
Ruffner,  president  of  Washington  College  in  Virginia, 
and  Dr.  William  S.  Plumer. 

In  1838  the  churches  established  by  McElhenney  and 
his  helpers  had  grown  so  numerous  that  they  were 
formed  into  the  separate  Presbytery  of  Greenbrier.  His 
work  widened  with  the  passing  of  the  years.  His  labors 
at  home  were  abundant,  for  he  owned  a  small  tract  of 
land  and  became  the  best  farmer  in  that  region.  He 
was  a  fine  judge  of  horses  and  also  a  good  horseman, 
and  seemed  never  to  grow  weary  as  he  urged  his  steed 
across  the  breezy  uplands.  He  was  up  "at  six  in  the 
morning,  riding  or  walking  over  the  farm,"  writes  his 


284  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

granddaughter,  Rose  W.  Fry;  "in  his  study  by  nine 
o'clock,  writing  or  meditating;  on  horseback  again  after 
an  early  dinner,  visiting  the  sick  or  riding  to  fill  an  ap- 
pointment." And  in  all  the  South  in  that  day,  no  man 
rode  and  preached  more  than  John  McElhenney. 

"He  appears  to  be  ever  in  a  hurry  to  do  good,"  writes 
one  who  knew  him.  "He  has  been  in  a  hurry  all  his 
life.  He  has  no  time  for  elegant  circumlocutions.  As 
soon  as  his  message  is  delivered,  he  is  in  motion  again  to 
deliver  his  message  somewhere  else.  He  is  the  very  per- 
sonification of  motion.  He  is  a  striking  example  of  how 
much  a  man  can  do  who  does  it  with  all  his  might."  He 
preached  with  power  and  in  great  tenderness  of  spirit. 
His  voice  was  musical  and  his  eye  was  piercing  in  its 
look.  The  love  of  a  great  heart  was  ever  ready  to 
respond  to  the  call  of  any  member  of  his  flock.  For 
miles  and  miles  in  every  direction  throughout  a  wide 
region  all  men  knew  that  good,  grey  head,  and  all  loved 
him. 

On  the  5th  of  June,  1858,  Dr.  McElhenney  stood  up 
in  the  old  Stone  Church  to  deliver  a  sermon  in  comm.emo- 
ration  of  fifty  years  of  labor  as  minister  in  that  field. 
During  that  period  he  had  preached  sermons  to  the 
number  of  nearly  eight  thousand,  administered  the  rite 
of  baptism  thirteen  hundred  times  and  united  in  the 
marriage  bond  as  many  as  one  thousand  five  hundred 
couples.  "As  to  the  number  of  times,"  he  said,  "that 
I  have  administered  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper, 
and  the  addresses  and  exhortations  I  have  delivered,  I 
can  form  no  idea." 

During  the  later  years  of  his  ministry,  an  associate 
pastor  labored  by  his  side ;  at  first,  Dr.  J.  C.  Barr,  and 
then  Dr.  Matthew  L.  Lacy.  At  last  in  the  year  1871 
the  silver  cord  was  loosed  and  the  faithful  man  of  God, 
the  patriarch  among  his  people,  having  reached  well 
nigh  the  age  of  ninety  years,  was  gathered  unto  his 
fathers. 


John  McElhenney  285 

In  k  grove  of  oak  trees  by  the  side  of  the  roadway 
that  leads  from  Lewisburg  to  Union  stands  a  small 
church  called  Salem.  All  that  fair  upland  region  of 
field  and  forest  slopes  gently  to  the  soulhern  bank  of 
the  Greenbrier.  The  soil  is  fertile,  and  every  sunmier 
the  ripening  harvests  seem  to  change  the  fields  into 
meadow  s  of  gold.  The  sons  and  daughters  of  Scotland 
have  entered  this  region  in  such  great  numbers  that  the 
district  near  the  river  has  been  called  from  the  earliest 
days  the  Scotch-Irish  "Corner."  Under  the  shadow  of 
Salem,  the  quiet  house  of  God  frequented  by  these  Scots, 
the  writer  of  this  present  volume  spent  the  years  of  his 
childhood  within  that  period  when  the  apostolic  Mc- 
Elhenney was  nearing  the  end  of  his  pilgrimage.  Even 
now  this  writer  recalls  the  fragrance  of  the  memory  that 
Dr.  McElhenney  left  behind  him  among  the  Scots  who 
with  their  children  still  worship  at  Salem.  And  not 
at  Salem  alone,  but  in  every  congregation  like  unto  it, 
in  all  the  region  of  Western  Virginia,  wherever  the  Scots 
continue  to  dwell  among  whom  Dr.  McElhenney  labored 
as  messenger  of  peace  and  salvation,  his  memory  abides 
as  an  inspiration  unto  every  good  word  and  work. 
"Dr.  McElhenney  is  the  greatest  man  I  ever  knew  in  the 
ministry,"  wrote  Dr.  Stuart  Robinson  of  Louisville; 
"great,  I  mean,  with  the  greatness  of  action  and  faith- 
fulness in  the  Master's  work." 


CHAPTER    XLI. 

WILLIAM  SWAN  PLUMER,  PREACHER  AND  TEACHER  OF 
THE    WORD. 

A  TOWN  now  called  Darlington  in  Pennsylvania  was 
the  birth-place  of  William  Swan  Plumer  ( 1802) .  Scotch 
courage  and  persistence  carried  him  through  many 
strenuous  days  as  youth  and  young  man.  When 
Plumer  was  about  nineteen  years  of  age,  he  walked  over 
the  mountains  from  Charleston,  on  the  Kanawha  River, 
to  Lewisburg  in  Greenbrier  County,  Virginia,  to  become 
a  pupil  in  Dr.  McElhenney's  Academy.  Dr.  Plumer 
afterwards  referred  in  the  following  terms  to  his  first 
glimpse  of  the  beautiful  town  that  nestles  amid  the  hills 
of  Greenbrier:  "Many  years  ago,"  he  said,  "when  I 
first  came  late  on  a  Saturday  afternoon  to  the  brow  of 
the  western  hill  overlooking  the  village,  I  thought  from 
the  noise  that  reached  my  ear  that  Lewisburg  must  be  a 
busy  manufacturing  town ;  but  when  I  came  down  into 
its  streets  I  found  that  it  was  only  the  servants  in  the 
back  yards  chopping  wood  for  Sunday." 

Young  Plumer  was  received  with  open  arms  by  Dr. 
McElhenney.  Since  he  was  one  of  the  oldest  students 
in  the  academy,  Plumer  was  called  "Daddy."  He  was 
even  then  tall  and  strong,  had  fine,  black  eyes,  and  was 
dignified  in  manner.  We  are  told  that  he  made  rapid 
progress  in  the  study  of  the  ancient  languages  and  that 
he  was  in  the  habit  of  working  at  his  tasks  in  the  open 
air,  perched  upon  a  woodpile  near  the  academy  building. 
He  entertained  a  great  affection  for  his  instructor  whom 
he  called  "Father  McElhenney."  This  love  was  re- 
turned by  the  teacher  who  always  addressed  Plumer,  the 
most  promising  pupil  in  his  school,  as  "Dear  William." 


WILLIAM   SWAN    PLLMER 


Facing  page  286 


William  Swan  Plumer  287 

From  the  academy  Plumer  passed  on  to  Washington 
College  to  sit  at  the  feet  of  that  inspiring  teacher,  Dr. 
Baxter.  Then  in  the  autumn  of  1824  he  entered  Prince- 
ton Seminary.  Two  years  later  (1826)  he  was  licensed 
to  preach.  The  church  which  he  organized  at  Danville, 
Virginia,  and  another  organized  at  Washington,  North 
Carolina,  were  the  first  fruits  of  his  ministry.  A  short 
pastorate  at  Briery  Church,  Prince  Edward  County, 
Virginia,  was  followed  by  a  call  to  Petersburg.  Three 
years  later  (1834)  he  became  shepherd  of  the  First 
Church,  Richmond,  and  there  he  remained  for  more 
than  twelve  years. 

William  S.  Plumer  was  pre-eminent  as  a  preacher 
of  the  gospel.  In  height  he  stood  a  head  and  shoulders 
above  his  brethren.  His  step  was  slow  and  measured 
and  his  majestic  presence  in  the  pulpit  impressed  all 
beholders  with  the  ideas  of  strength  and  dignity.  Dr. 
Moses  D.  Hoge  writes  of  him  as  follows :  "His  prayers 
were  the  tender  pleadings  of  a  soul  in  communion  with 
God.  There  was  a  pathetic  tremolo  in  his  tone  as  he 
read  the  hymns  for  the  day.  He  occasionally  prefaced 
the  announcement  of  his  text  with  some  striking  remark, 
arresting  the  attention  of  his  entire  audience.  His  voice 
was  one  of  great  flexibility  and  power.  Its  cadences 
varied  with  the  sentiments  which  filled  his  mind  and 
heart.  When  the  thought  was  tender,  the  expression 
of  it  came  in  accents  soft  and  low.  The  words  fell  like 
the  dropping  of  tears.  In  the  utterance  of  some  sub- 
lime and  stirring  thought,  his  voice  rang  out  like  the 
sound  of  a  trumpet.  These  transitions  at  times  were 
abrupt  and  startling  as  a  bugle  call  to  battle.  Nervous 
persons  were  occasionally  agitated  by  them;  his  audi- 
ences generally  were  aroused  and  impressed  by  them. 
In  the  fulness  of  his  strength  in  middle  life  he  could  have 
filled  a  great  cathedral  with  the  melodious  thunder  of 
his  marvelous  voice." 

One   Sunday  in  the  summer  of  1860,  Dr.   Plumer 


288  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

preached  to  the  guests  at  the  While  Sulphur  Springs,  in 
Virginia.  It  was  a  time  of  excitement  and  the  band  of 
music  at  that  resort  often  played  the  patriotic  melody  of 
the  French  people,  the  Marseillaise  hymn.  The  preacher, 
therefore,  arose  and  said  to  his  audience,  in  his  deep, 
rich  voice,  "Let  us  begin  the  worship  of  God  by  singing 
the  Marseillaise  hymn  of  the  Christian  Church,  'AH 
hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name.'  "  The  reverential  at- 
tention which  was  thus  gained  was  held  by  the  minister 
to  the  very  close  of  the  service. 

The  church  of  which  he  was  pastor  in  Richmond  was 
rapidly  built  up  in  numbers  and  in  spiritual  influence. 
Plumer's  great  heart  was  full  of  love  for  his  fellowmen 
and  with  j  oy  he  called  them  into  God's  kingdom.  Multi- 
tudes heard  him  and  obeyed  his  call.  Throughout  our 
whole  land,  wherever  he  journeyed,  crowds  came  to  hear 
the  Gospel  of  love  and  truth  as  it  fell  from  his  inspired 
lips.  He  was  full  of  the  highest  courage  in  meeting 
his  duties  as  pastor.  Face  to  face  he  talked  in  all  plain- 
ness and  sincerity  with  wicked  and  profane  persons. 
His  heart  bled  for  the  poor  and  afflicted.  Words  of 
sympathy  spoken  by  his  lips  seemed  to  find  their  way 
at  once  into  the  hearts  of  those  afflicted  with  sorrow. 

A  minister  so  gifted  soon  made  his  way  to  the  front 
as  a  leader  in  presbyteries  and  synods.  In  183T,  when 
Dr.  Plumer  was  only  thirty-five  years  of  age,  he  shared 
with  Dr.  Baxter  the  chief  part  in  the  work  of  separating 
the  church  into  the  Old  and  New  School  assemblies.  In 
the  General  Assembly  of  1837  he  was  the  leading  speaker 
on  the  floor  from  the  South.  Dr.  Beman  was  the  prin- 
cipal Northern  speaker  and  he  made  a  strong  plea  in 
favor  of  remaining  in  union  with  the  Congregationalists. 
When  he  sat  down,  the  majority  of  the  whole  assembly 
was  probably  ready  to  vote  with  him  against  division. 
"In  this  state  of  the  debate,"  says  Dr.  William  H.  Foote, 
"Mr,  Plumer  took  the  floor.  Those  who  knew  him  well 
said  that  he  was  oppressed.     His  friends  were  moved, 


William  Swan  Plumer  289 

lest  his  anxiety  should  destroy  his  composure.  His  first 
few  sentences  were  not  particularly  interesting;  like 
the  skiff  putting  off  into  the  eddies  of  the  river,  heading 
one  way  and  then  another,  till  by  a  dexterous  stroke  of 
the  paddle  it  shoots  to  the  main  current  and  then  sweeps 
down  the  stream.  The  whole  house  was  off  its  guard. 
Suddenly  he  struck  the  current  and  was  carrying  us  all 
along  with  him  before  we  could  be  aware;  and  the  flow 
of  the  stream  went  on  broader  and  deeper.  His  great 
effort  was  to  do  away  with  the  effect  of  Dr.  Beman's 
speech  upon  that  part  of  the  house  that  was  wavering. 
He  first  sought  out  all  the  weak  places  in  his  adversary's 
armor,  and  hurled  his  darts  with  appalling  directness 
into  the  open  joints  of  his  harness.  His  declamation  was 
powerful.  His  language  was  varied;  sometimes  terse, 
sometimes  flowing,  sometimes  quaint  almost  to  obscurity 
and  sometimes  florid  almost  to  superfluity.  Intermingled 
all  along  were  anecdotes  and  sarcasm,  till  the  weaker 
points  of  his  opponent  seemed  to  have  swallowed  up  the 
stronger.  He  then  repeated  the  constitutional  argu- 
ment, and  the  causes  of  the  action,  and  from  the  greatness 
of  the  difficulties  in  the  way  showed  the  absolute  neces- 
sity of  a  great  reform.  He  produced  a  profound  im- 
pression, that  a  great  evil  was  to  be  boldly  met,  and 
speedily  met  and  no  better  means  yet  appeared  than 
citation.  His  speech  changed  the  fate  of  the  question." 
At  a  later  time  during  the  same  assembly,  Dr.  Plumer 
had  a  large  share  in  the  final  act  of  cutting  off  the  four 
western  synods  and  thus  of  saving  to  our  country  the 
system  of  Calvinism  in  doctrine  and  the  Presbyterian 
system  in  church  government. 

These  principles  had  to  be  further  defended  at  the 
close  of  the  summer  of  1837;  therefore,  a  new  religious 
paper  made  its  appearance  in  Richmond,  bearing  the 
name  of  The  Watchman  of  the  South.  Plumer  was 
proprietor  and  editor.  With  a  strong  pen  he  upheld 
the  views  of  the  Old  School  Presbyterians,  and  in  the 


290  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

following  year  (1838)  he  was  chosen  moderator  of  their 
assembly. 

In  the  year  1846,  a  petition  was  presented  to  the 
legislature  of  Virginia  asking  the  passage  of  a  general 
law  authorizing  the  incorporation  of  each  congregation 
and  religious  society  in  the  state.  Dr.  Plumer  ap- 
peared before  a  committee  of  the  legislature  and  spoke 
at  length  against  the  proposed  law.  Two  of  the  most 
prominent  lawyers  of  Richmond  were  his  opponents,  but 
Dr.  Plumer  showed  himself  so  well  equipped  with  argu- 
ments drawn  from  the  history  of  the  church,  from  the 
laws  passed  by  various  legislatures,  and  from  the  legal 
opinions  expressed  by  eminent  lawyers  and  judges,  that 
he  won  his  cause  with  ease.  Dr.  Plumer's  breadth  of 
liberality  in  sentiment  and  his  genial,  good  humor 
won  the  favor  of  all  who  heard  him  engaged  in  this 
debate. 

One  of  the  lawyers  who  was  somewhat  pompous 
in  manner  charged  Dr.  Plumer  with  "imitating  Don 
Quixote."  To  this  charge  Dr.  Plumer  replied  as  fol- 
lows: "Concerning  this  Don,  I  am  not  very  bright  in 
my  memory.  But,  if  I  remember  rightly,  the  Don  rode 
a  sorrel  horse.  In  this  I  do  sometimes  imitate  him ;  but 
my  horse  is  not,  I  think,  so  lean  as  Rosinante.  I  think, 
too,  the  Don  was  far  from  being  a  malignant  man.  If 
the  gentleman  intended  to  say  the  same  of  me,  I  thank 
him  for  his  good  opinion.  I  might  admit  also  that  the 
fates  of  the  Don  and  of  myself  have  been  somewhat 
similar  in  at  least  one  respect.  If  I  am  not  mistaken  he 
encountered  a  windmill  or  two.  I  am  not  sure  but  I 
have  done  the  same." 

In  1844  Moses  D.  Hoge  was  called  to  Richmond  as 
Dr.  Plumer's  assistant.  Three  years  later  (1847)  Dr. 
Plumer  became  pastor  of  the  Franklin  Street  Church, 
Baltimore.  There  the  pulpit  was  still  his  throne.  With 
great  power  he  continued  to  preach  and  to  lead  large 
numbers  into  the  Kingdom. 


William  Swan  Plumer  291 

The  year  1854  marked  Dr.  Plumer's  acceptance  of  the 
chair  of  theology  in  Alleghany  Seminary,  Pennsylvania. 
Afterwards,  from  1862  to  1867,  he  was  engaged  in  the 
work  of  preaching  in  Philadelphia  and  Pottsville,  Penn- 
sylvania. In  1867  he  was  made  professor  of  theology 
in  Columbia  Seminary,  in  South  Carolina.  In  that  posi- 
tion he  continued  to  labor  with  success  until  1880.  In 
the  autumn  of  that  year  (October  22,  1880)  he  passed 
away. 

Throughout  his  mature  life  Dr.  Plumer  was  ever  at 
w^ork  with  his  pen.  Many  books  were  written  showing 
sound  scholarship ;  among  these  were  commentaries  on 
the  Psalms,  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans  and  the  Epistle 
to  the  Hebrews.  A  large  number  of  tracts,  practical 
and  helpful,  were  prepared  by  him  and  sent  out  among 
all  of  the  churches. 

The  touch  of  time  changed  Dr.  Plumer's  hair  to  the 
color  of  silver  and  then  to  the  whiteness  of  the  snow. 
It  fell  back  in  heavy  masses  from  his  forehead.  His 
beard  was  also  white  during  his  later  years,  and  fell 
down  upon  his  breast  like  a  beautiful  vestment.  To  all 
who  looked  upon  his  tall,  majestic  figure,  Dr.  Plumer 
seemed  like  some  ancient  Hebrew  prophet. 

In  May,  1877,  Dr.  Plumer  made  a  visit  to  Chicago. 
The  General  Assembly  of  the  Northern  Presbyterian 
Church  was  then  in  session  in  that  city  and  he  accepted 
an  invitation  to  address  that  body.  When  he  moved 
quietly  forward  from  the  main  entrance  of  the  church 
building  toward  the  platform,  the  scene  that  followed 
is  thus  described  by  a  spectator:  "As  the  grand  vision 
dawned  upon  the  upturned  faces  of  the  assembly,  re- 
sistance to  its  charms  was  impossible;  generous  impulse 
overcame  the  heat  of  prejudice,  and  courtesy  paid  vol- 
untary tribute  to  the  highest  type  of  manliness.  The 
applause  rose  and  swelled  and  waned  again,  then  waxed 
higher  and  more  fervent  as  the  royal  form  went  on  down 
the  aisle;  and  as  the  gallery  caught  the  first  glimpse  of 


292  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

his  advancing  figure,  ladies  and  gentlemen  rose  en  masse 
and  cheered  and  cheered  again." 

Later  in  the  same  year  (1877)  fourteen  conmiis- 
sioners  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  represent  the  Southern 
Presbyterians  in  the  Presbyterian  Council  that  assem- 
bled in  Edinburgh,  Scotland.  Foremost  among  these 
were  William  S.  Plumer,  Stuart  Robinson  and  Moses 
D.  Hoge.  Like  princes  among  the  great  men  of  Israel 
stood  these  Southern  delegates.  Dr.  Hoge  tells  us  that 
Dr.  Plumer  "commanded  the  most  marked  attention" 
in  Edinburgh,  "and  left  an  impression  upon  the  thou- 
sands who  saw  and  heard  him,  which  will  not  be  for- 
gotten in  this  generation." 


CHAPTER    XLll. 

CHARLES   COLCOCK   JONES,   JOHN   B.    ADGER   AND   JOHN   L. 
GIRARDEAU. 

On  December  2,  1832,  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  then 
about  twent^^-eight  years  of  age,  began  his  special  work 
as  spiritual  shepherd  among  the  negroes  of  Liberty 
County,  Georgia.  This  was  Charles  Colcock  Jones,  a 
son  of  old  Midway  congregation,  bom  on  his  father's 
plantation  near  that  famous  church  in  1804.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  at  Sunbury  Academy  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Medway  River  under  the  guidance  of  the  veteran 
teacher  and  preacher,  Dr.  William  McWhir.  The  lat- 
ter was  a  native  of  County  Down,  Ireland,  and  an 
alumnus  of  the  University  *cf  Glasgow.  Jones  became 
a  merchant's  clerk  in  Savannah,  but  afterwards,  upon 
arriving  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  he  went  to  the 
academy  located  at  Andover,  Massachusetts,  in  order  to 
fit  himself  for  the  gospel  ministry.  Two  sessions  at 
Princeton  Seminary  under  Doctors  Alexander  and 
Miller  made  him  readj'  for  licensure.  A  period  of 
nearly  two  years  was  spent  as  pastor  of  the  First 
Church,  Savannah,  with  Daniel  Baker  as  his  friend  and 
neighbor  at  the  Independent  Church.  Then,  in  1832, 
as  indicated  above,  he  returned  to  his  own  plantation 
home  near  Midway  Church  and  entered  upon  the  work 
to  which  he  gave  the  chief  part  of  his  life ;  namely,  the 
evangelization  of  the  negroes. 

In  the  district  of  which  old  ]\Iidway  Church  was  the 
center,  there  was  a  body  of  about  4500  negro  slaves. 
To  the  work  of  instructing  these  negroes  Dr.  .Jones  gave 
himself  by  day  and  by  night  throughout  a  period  of 

293 


294  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

about  four  years.  Drawing  his  own  support  entirely 
from  his  own  plantation,  he  gave  his  money,  his  time  and 
his  strength  to  the  colored  people.  Three  separate 
houses  of  worship,  located  at  convenient  points,  were 
built  for  their  exclusive  use.  Every  Sunday,  at  an 
early  hour.  Dr.  Jones  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  to 
one  of  these  churches.  From  all  of  the  neighboring 
plantations  the  servants  came  in  crowds,  men,  women 
and  children.  First  in  order,  a  meeting  for  prayer 
was  held.  During  this  service  a  number  of  the  negroes, 
known  as  "watchmen,"  one  after  another  led  the  assem- 
bly in  prayer.  Then  followed  the  sermon,  preached  by 
Dr.  Jones  himself,  with  the  usual  accompaniment  of 
sacred  hymns.  In  the  afternoon  the  same  congregation 
was  called  together  as  a  Sunday-school.  The  principal 
part  of  the  exercises  in  the  school  was  a  series  of  ques- 
tions and  answers  drawn  from  a  catechism  specially  pre- 
pared by  the  leader  himself  and  widely  known  as  Jones' 
Catechism.  Then  followed  an  inquiry  meeting  for  the 
benefit  of  those  who  were  concerned  about  their  spiritual 
condition.  Afterwards  the  "watchmen"  of  the  district, 
that  is,  negroes  appointed  to  that  work,  made  reports 
to  the  pastor  with  reference  to  the  conduct  of  the  church 
members  on  the  various  plantations.  Then  Dr.  Jones, 
as  chief  shepherd,  gave  to  these  helpers  some  words  of 
counsel  and  encouragement  and  sent  them  away  with 
his  blessing.  The  day  was  well  nigh  spent  when  the 
servant  of  God  was  able  to  turn  his  face  homeward. 
Every  hour  of  the  Lord's  Day  was  thus  given  to  the 
work  of  bringing  light  and  knowledge  and  spiritual  help 
to  the  benighted  Africans. 

During  the  week  Dr.  Jones  had  a  regular  series  of 
appointments  for  preaching  the  gospel  on  the  planta- 
tions. Sometimes  in  the  planter's  mansion,  with  white 
and  colored  people  together  as  his  auditors.  Dr.  Jones 
would  deliver  his  sermon.  Again,  the  service  A^ould  be 
held  in  a  building  called  a  "praise  house,"  constructed 


Charles  Colcock  Jones  295 

especially  for  that  purpose.  On  his  own  plantation  Dr. 
Jones  erected  a  neat  house  of  worship  and  provided  it 
with  a  bell  whose  sweet  tones  rang  out  over  the  adjacent 
region  to  call  the  workmen  to  the  place  of  prayer.  With 
simplicity  of  speech  and  with  spiritual  power,  this  con- 
secrated man  of  God  persuaded  many  of  the  negro  men 
and  women  to  lead  quiet  and  peaceable  lives  in  godliness 
and  honesty. 

Dr.  Jones  did  not  fail  to  speak  the  truth  as  he  was 
enabled  to  see  it,  not  only  to  servants,  but  also  to  the 
masters.  In  1833  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia  adopted  and  published  the  following  exhorta- 
tion written  by  Dr.  Jones :  "Religion  will  tell  the  master 
that  his  servants  are  his  fellow-creatures,  and  that  he 
has  a  Master  in  heaven  to  whom  he  shall  account  for  his 
treatment  of  them.  The  master  will  be  led  to  inquiries 
of  this  sort :  In  what  kind  of  houses  do  I  permit  them 
to  live?  What  clothes  do  I  give  them  to  wear?  What 
food  to  eat?  What  privileges  to  enjoy?  In  what  tem- 
per and  manner  and  proportion  to  their  crimes  are  they 
punished?" 

In  March,  1832,  even  before  he  began  to  devote  his 
entire  time  to  the  work  among  the  negroes,  Dr.  Jones 
organized  "The  Association  for  the  Religious  Instruc- 
tion of  the  Negroes."  Baptists,  Methodists,  Episco- 
palians and  Presbyterians,  all  together,  the  leading 
citizens  of  Liberty  County,  Georgia,  formed  this  asso- 
ciation. Dr.  Jones,  as  secretary,  presented  to  this 
association  from  1833  to  1848  an  annual  report  which 
was  printed  and  distributed  throughout  the  South.  The 
demand  for  these  reports  was  so  great  that  some  of 
them  ran  through  two  and  three  editions.  Dr.  Jones' 
addresses  before  ecclesiastical  bodies  were  also  published, 
"stirring  the  churches  of  every  name  as  with  the  blast 
of  a  trumpet."  INIoreover,  his  personal  correspondence 
was  conducted  on  a  wide-reaching  basis.  With  men  of 
influence  in  every  part  of  the  South  he  exchanged  views 


296  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

through  the  agency  of  private  letters,  and  thus  he 
taught  masters  in  every  section  their  duty  to  their 
servants. 

For  a  period  of  two  years,  from  November,  1836,  to 
November,  1838,  Dr.  Jones  occupied  the  chair  of 
Ecclesiastical  History  and  Church  Polity  in  the  Colum- 
bia Seminary.  An  accurate  scholarship  and  a  personal 
aptness  in  imparting  instruction  gave  him  good  success 
in  this  field  of  labor.  But  the  call  of  the  colored  people 
was  ever  in  his  ears,  and  he  returned  to  his  former  work 
in  Liberty  County.  Throughout  an  additional  period  of 
ten  years  he  continued  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the 
negroes  on  the  plantations.  Long  rides  at  night  through 
the  swamps  near  the  Savannah  River  gave  the  fever  an 
opportunity  to  begin  its  deadly  work  within  him.  In  1849 
he  resumed  the  task  of  teaching  in  Columbia  Seminar}'^, 
but  in  October,  1850,  he  removed  to  Philadelphia  to  take 
up  a  new  work  as  secretary  of  the  Assembly's  Board  of 
Home  Missions.  Just  before  this  removal  a  disastrous 
fire  consumed  all  of  his  household  goods  with  his  books 
and  papers.  His  energy,  however,  was  unchecked. 
Systematic  business  methods  were  introduced  by  him 
into  the  administration  of  Presbyterian  missions 
throughout  our  entire  country.  The  financial  wisdom 
and  practical  sense  of  Dr.  Jones  soon  established  this 
work  upon  a  sound  basis.  In  the  fall  of  1853  his  health 
failed  and  he  had  to  seek  rest  in  his  old  home  near  Mid- 
way, Georgia.  The  unceasing  toil  of  years  among  the 
colored  people  wrought  out  its  effect  upon  his  physical 
nature.  He  became  a  martyr  to  his  missionary  zeal  in 
behalf  of  the  negroes. 

For  the  space  of  ten  years  longer  he  continued  to  live, 
broken  in  health,  but  continuing  the  work  of  Instruction 
among  the  Africans,  When  no  longer  able  to  stand  he 
would  take  a  seat  in  the  pulpit  and  preach  from  his  chair. 
Once  again  in  this  volume  we  shall  have  a  glimpse  of 
this  consecrated  servant  of  God  before  the  first  Southern 


John  B.  Adger  297 

Assembly  in  1861.  Two  years  later,  in  1863,  the 
Master  called  the  pure  spirit  of  the  missionary  to  leave 
the  frail  tabernacle  of  clay  in  order  that  it  might  find 
a  new  joy  in  the  house  above. 

In  the  summer  of  1846  John  B.  Adger  began  to 
preach  to  a  separate  congregation  of  negroes  in  Charles- 
ton, South  Carolina.  In  Dr.  Smyth's  church  there 
were  at  that  time  some  three  hundred  colored  members, 
and  in  Dr.  Forrest's  church  a  negro  membership  of  some 
five  hundred.  The  negro  members  of  the  Baptist  and 
Methodist  churches  in  Charleston  carried  the  total  num- 
ber of  professing  African  Christians  into  the  thousands. 
A  large  company  of  these  began  to  assemble  at  regular 
seasons  in  the  basement  of  the  lecture  room  of  Dr. 
Smyth's  church  to  listen  to  the  instruction  given  by  Dr. 
Adger.  This  zealous  man  of  God  organized  also  a 
separate  Sunday-school  among  the  negroes  and  held 
prayer-meetings  at  various  points  in  the  city. 

On  May  9,  184T,  the  congregation  of  the  Second 
Church  held  a  formal  meeting  and  resolved  to  erect  a 
building  "for  the  express  purpose  of  giving  to  the  colored 
people  sound  and  careful  religious  instruction.  Those 
[colored  people]  who  may  become  church  members  will 
be  received  into  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  b}^  its 
session  after  careful  examination." 

The  result  of  this  resolution  was  the  construction  of 
a  house  of  worship  in  simple  Gothic  style  in  the  shape 
of  the  letter  T.  The  transepts  or  wings  of  the  building 
were  assigned  to  the  use  of  white  persons,  but  the  main 
body  of  the  church  was  reserved  for  the  negroes.  The 
cost  of  the  house  of  worship  was  seven  thousand  and 
seven  hundred  dollars,  and  this  was  paid  by  the  con- 
gregation of  the  Second  Church. 

On  Sunday,  May  26,  1850,  this  church  building  was 
solemnly  dedicated  as  a  house  of  God  for  the  benefit  of 
the  slaves.  A  large  congregation  of  white  persons,  the 
masters  of  the  slaves,  assembled  in  the  church  to  listen 


298  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

to  a  special  sermon  by  Dr.  James  H.  Thornwell. 
"Masters,  give  unto  your  servants  that  which  is  just 
and  equal,  knowing  that  ye  also  have  a  Master  in 
heaven"  (Colossians  4:  1).  Upon  these  words  as  a 
basis,  the  preacher  built  up  a  system  of  duty  which,  he 
said,  the  slaveholder  must  adopt.  "The  slave  has 
rights,"  said  Dr.  Thornwell,  "all  the  rights  which  belong 
essentially  to  humanity,  and  without  which  his  nature 
could  not  be  human  or  his  conduct  susceptible  of  praise 
or  blame.  In  the  enjoyment  of  these  rights,  religion 
demands  he  should  be  protected.  The  right  which  the 
master  has  is  a  right  not  to  the  man,  but  to  his  labor." 

"This  building,"  said  Dr.  Thornwell,  "is  a  public 
testimonial  to  our  faith  that  the  negro  is  of  one  blood 
with  ourselves."  "The  ideas  of  personal  rights  and 
personal  responsibility  pervade  the  whole  system  of 
slavery,"  he  continued.  "It  is  a  relation  of  man  to 
man ;  Paul  treats  the  services  of  slaves  as  duties.  Slavery 
is  a  part  of  the  curse  which  sin  has  introduced  into  the 
world  and  stands  in  the  same  general  relation  to  Chris- 
tianity as  poverty,  sickness,  disease  and  death.  That  it  is 
inconsistent  with  a  perfect  state — that  it  is  not  abso- 
lutely a  good,  a  blessing — the  most  strenuous  defender 
of  slavery  ought  not  to  permit  himself  to  deny. 

"The  meanest  slave  has  in  him  a  soul  of  priceless 
value,"  cried  Dr.  Thornwell  in  conclusion.  "One  of  the 
highest  and  most  solemn  obligations  which  rest  upon  the 
masters  of  the  South  is  to  give  their  servants,  to  the 
utmost  extent  of  their  ability,  free  access  to  the  in- 
structions and  institutions  of  the  gospel." 

John  B.  Adger,  the  organizer  of  this  separate  work 
among  the  negroes,  was  born  in  Charleston  in  1810. 
His  father  came  to  America  from  North  Ireland,  but 
was  probably  of  Huguenot  descent.  In  his  sixteenth 
year  the  son  John  was  sent  to  Union  College,  located 
at  Schenectady,  New  York,  to  become  a  member  of  the 
sophomore  class.     After  completing  the  course  of  study 


John  B.  Adger  299 

there,  he  spent  a  year  in  his  father's  home,  where  the 
conviction  was  forced  upon  him  that  he  should  become 
a  preacher  of  the  gospel.  From  1829  until  1833  he 
sat  at  the  feet  of  Alexander,  Miller  and  Hodge,  the  great 
triumvirate  who  then  constituted  Princeton  Seminary. 
In  the  summer  of  1834,  in  the  Second  Church,  Charles- 
ton, John  B.  Adger  was  solemnly  set  apart  to  the  work 
in  the  foreign  field.  The  autumn  of  that  year  found 
his  wife  and  himself  at  Smyrna  in  Asia  Minor.  An  im- 
portant part  of  the  work  of  Dr.  Adger  during  the  suc- 
ceeding years  was  the  translation  of  the  Greek  New 
Testament  into  the  modern  Armenian  tongue.  He  trans- 
lated also  the  Westminster  Shorter  Catechism  and 
Charles  Colcock  Jones'  Catechism,  prepared,  as  we  have 
seen,  for  the  use  of  the  colored  people  of  Georgia.  We 
learn  that  years  afterwards  (1860)  as  many  as  fifteen 
hundred  Armenians  in  a  certain  part  of  Asia  Minor  met 
regularly  every  Sunday  to  pursue  together  the  study  of 
the  Bible  and  Jones'  Catechism. 

In  1846  Dr.  Adger  turned  his  face  homeward  for  a 
brief  period  of  rest.  The  twelve  years  of  his  labor 
among  the  Armenians  had  borne  much  fruit.  Not  only 
the  books  already  named  had  been  given  by  him  to  the 
Armenians  in  their  own  form  of  speech,  but  also  many 
tracts  and  pamphlets  and  religious  works.  He  had 
taken  part  also  in  the  task  of  translating  the  Psalms 
into  the  Armenian  language.  He  Avas  ready  and  eager 
to  return  to  Smyrna  to  continue  this  good  work,  but  a 
dark  cloud  was  rising  above  the  horizon  in  Adger's 
homeland.  The  Abolitionists  were  already  in  1846 
making  fierce  attacks  against  the  people  of  the  South 
because  of  the  institution  of  domestic  slavery.  Dr. 
Adger  did  not  own  a  slave  in  his  own  right,  but  his  wife 
had  inherited  some  negro  servants,  and  on  this  account 
a  difficulty  was  raised  with  reference  to  his  return  to  the 
mission  field.  The  New  England  members  of  the  Ameri- 
can Board  of  Foreign  Missions  did  not  wish  to  send  a 


300  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

slaveholder  beyond  the  seas  as  a  missionary.  For  this 
reason  Dr.  Adger  gave  up  his  great  work  in  Smyrna 
and  began  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  negroes  in 
Charleston.  After  a  period  of  five  years  spent  in  zeal- 
ous work  among  the  colored  people,  Dr.  Adger's  eyes 
began  to  grow  weak  and  he  withdrew  to  a  plantation  to 
regain  his  strength.  In  the  year  1857  he  entered  upon 
the  work  connected  with  the  chair  of  Church  History  and 
Church  Polity  in  the  Columbia  Seminary.  With  grow- 
ing success  he  continued  for  seventeen  years  in  this 
school  of  prophets.  The  transparent  honesty  of  Dr. 
Adger,  combined  with  the  simplicity  of  his  religious  faith, 
left  deep  impressions  upon  the  hearts  of  all  who  sat  at 
his  feet.  In  1874  he  laid  aside  this  work,  and  a  few 
years  later,  in  the  fullness  of  years  and  prestige,  he 
was  gathered  unto  his  fathers. 

During  the  years  1852  and  1853  the  colored  congre- 
gation organized  by  Dr.  Adger  was  under  the  pastoral 
care  of  Ferdinand  Jacobs,  a  faithful  shepherd  and 
preacher.  In  December,  1853,  John  L.  Girardeau,  then 
pastor  of  the  church  at  Wilton,  came  to  Charleston  to 
preach  to  the  colored  people.  This  gifted  man  was  a 
native  of  that  region  in  South  Carolina  which  lies  near 
the  sea,  where  he  was  born  in  1825. 

Even  as  a  young  man  he  held  prayer-meetings  for 
the  benefit  of  the  colored  people  on  his  father's  planta- 
tion. On  another  plantation  a  prayer-meeting  which 
he  attended  became  a  widespread  revival  of  religion, 
including  many  of  the  white  masters  of  the  slaves. 
While  teaching  school  in  another  place  he  visited  a  num- 
ber of  plantations  one  after  another  on  certain  after- 
noons during  the  week  and  gave  religious  instruction  to 
the  negroes.  In  early  life  he  came  to  Charleston,  and  in 
the  Second  Church,  under  Dr.  Smyth's  pastoral  care, 
he  found,  as  he  said,  "a  new  home,  and  received  from 
the  hand  of  this  church,  as  from  a  tender  mother,  the 
bread  and  the  water  of  another  and  a  holier  life." 


John  L.  Girardeau  301 

Young  Girardeau  completed  the  course  of  study  in 
Columbia  Seminary,  and  in  1848  he  was  licensed  to 
preach.  He  refused  a  call  to  a  larger  and  important 
church  because  he  considered  it  to  be  his  duty  to  preach 
to  the  mass  of  slaves  on  the  seaboard  of  South  Carolina. 
He  accepted  an  invitation  to  preach  in  a  small  church 
located  in  a  region  that  was  occupied  by  a  large  number 
of  negroes.  The  black  people  came  in  crowds  to  hear 
him.  Dr.  Girardeau  tells  us  that  he  often  saw  the 
negroes  moving  along  the  road  at  a  trot,  or  "double- 
quick,"  in  order  to  reach  the  church  in  time  to  take 
part  in  the  opening  hymn.  After  the  first  service,  held 
for  white  and  colored  members  together,  another  service 
was  begun  for  the  slaves  alone.  These  would  "pour  in 
and  throng  the  seats  vacated  by  their  masters — yes, 
crowding  the  building  up  to  the  pulpit.  I  have  seen 
them,"  writes  Dr.  Girardeau,  "rock  to  and  fro  under 
the  influence  of  their  feelings,  like  a  wood  in  a  storm. 
What  singing!  What  hearty  handshakings  after  the 
service.  I  have  had  my  finger  joints  stripped  of  the 
skin  in  consequence  of  them." 

Dr.  Girardeau's  next  field  of  labor  was  Wilton 
Church.  The  work  among  the  slaves  in  this  region,  he 
tells  us,  consisted  in  preaching  to  them  each  Sabbath  at 
noon  "in  the  church  building  in  which  their  masters  had 
just  worshiped,  preaching  to  them  again  in  the  after- 
noon on  the  plantations,  and  preaching  at  night  to 
mixed  congregations  of  whites  and  blacks.  This  in 
summer.  In  winter  I  preached  at  night  on  the  planta- 
tions, often  reaching  home  after  midnight.  Many  a 
time  I  have  seen  the  slaves  gathered  on  their  masters' 
piazzas  for  worship,  and  when  it  was  very  cold,  in  their 
dining-rooms  and  their  sitting-rooms.  The  family  and 
the  servants  would  worsliip  together."     *     *     * 

"My  last  service  with  the  negroes  at  this  church  I 
will  never  forget.  The  final  words  had  been  spoken  to 
the  white  congregation  and  they  had  retired.     When  a 


302  Southern  Preshyterian  Leaders 

tempest  of  emotion  was  shaking  me  the  tramp  of  a  great 
multitude  was  heard  as  the  negroes  poured  into  the 
building  and  occupied  all  available  space  up  to  the  little 
old  wine-glass  shaped  pulpit.  When  approaching  the 
conclusion  of  the  sermon  I  turned  to  the  unconverted 
and  called  on  them  to  come  to  Jesus.  The  great  mass 
of  the  congregation  simultaneously  broke  down,  dropped 
their  heads  to  their  knees  and  uttered  a  wail  which  seemed 
to  prelude  the  judgment."* 

When  Dr.  Girardeau  came  to  Charleston  the  earnest- 
ness that  marked  the  delivery  of  his  message  drew  so 
many  into  his  church  that  a  larger  building  became  nec- 
essary. An  immense  home  of  worship  was  therefore 
erected  at  a  cost  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  This 
was  paid  for  by  the  white  people  of  Charleston  as  an 
expression  of  their  interest  in  the  religious  welfare  of 
their  slaves.  Dr.  Girardeau's  church,  the  largest  edifice 
for  worship  then  in  Charleston,  was  named  Zion  Church. 
The  lower  story  was  used  as  a  Sunday-school  room. 
The  preaching  service  was  held  on  the  second  floor ;  the 
galleries  facing  the  pulpit  were  set  apart  for  white 
people.  Every  Sunday  afternoon  a  large  company  of 
colored  people,  usually  as  many  as  one  thousand  in 
number,  sat  on  the  main  floor  of  this  great  auditorium 
to  hear  the  word  of  God  from  Dr.  Girardeau's  eloquent 
lips. 

"Besides  Sabbath  preaching,"  writes  Dr.  Girardeau, 
"most  of  the  nights  in  the  week  were  spent  at  the  church 
in  the  discharge  of  various  duties — holding  prayer- 
meetings,  catechising  classes,  administering  discipline, 
settling  difficulties  and  performing  marriage  ceremonies. 
Often  have  I  sat  for  over  an  hour  in  a  cold  room  in- 
structing individual  inquirers  and  candidates  for  mem- 
bership ;  often  have  I  risen  in  the  night  to  visit  the  sick 
and  dying  and  administer  baptism  to  ill  children.     I 

'""Plantation  Life  Before  Emancipation."  By  Dr.  R.  Q.  Mal- 
lard.    Pp.  162-167. 


John  L.  Girardeau  303 

made  it  a  duty  to  attend  all  their  funerals  and  conduct 
them.  *  *-  *  The  most  glorious  work  of  grace  I 
ever  felt  or  witnessed  was  one  which  occurred  in  1858 
in  connection  with  this  missionary  work  in  Charleston. 
It  began  with  a  remarkable  exhibition  of  the  spirit's 
supernatural  power.  For  eight  weeks,  night  after 
night,  save  Saturday  nights,  I  preached  to  dense  and 
deeply-moved  congregations." 

"I  have  no  doubt,"  writes  Dr.  Adger,  "that  the  influ- 
ence of  his  [Girardeau's]  apostolic  instructions  to  thou- 
sands and  thousands  of  negroes  who  frequented  his 
ministry  during  those  nine  years  in  Zion  Church  had 
much  to  do  with  the  quiet,  peaceable  and  submissive  be- 
haviot  of  the  colored  people  in  Charleston  while  the 
war  went  on,  just  as  I  am  sure  the  same  effect  was  pro- 
duced among  the  slave  population  all  over  the  South  by 
the  sound  religious  instruction  they  had  been  receiving 
publicly  and  privately  for  many  years  before  the  war." 

In  1862  Dr.  Girardeau  joined  the  Confederate  forces 
in  "the  field  as  a  chaplain.  He  was  captured  and  held 
for  a  time  as  a  prisoner  on  Johnson's  Island.  Even 
there  he  preached  the  gospel  to  his  fellow-prisoners  and 
formed  a  class  for  regular  biblical  instruction.  In  the 
summer  of  1865,  after  his  release  from  prison,  Dr.  Girar- 
deau returned  to  Charleston  and  gathered  together  in  the 
Second  Church  "a  great  congregation  from  all  the  dis- 
mantled Presbyterian  churches  of  the  city."  To  these 
sorrow-stricken  people  he  spoke  of  the  rest  that  belongs 
to  the  people  of  God  (Hebrews  4:  9).  "He  who  did 
not  think  it  beneath  him  to  die  for  us,"  said  the  preacher, 
"will  not  think  it  beneath  him  to  provide  for  us.  He 
has  assured  us  that  he  cares  for  the  sparrow,  and  that 
we  are  of  more  value  than  many  sparrows.  Poor  and 
insignificant  we  may  be,  but  he  has  spread  his  garment 
over  us  and  acknowledged  us  as  his  kinsmen."  His 
former  colored  congregation,  composed  now  of  emanci- 
pated negroes,  entreated  him  "to  come  back  and  preach 


304  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

to  them  as  of  old."  This  request  he  frequently  com- 
plied with,  but  others  were  calling  for  his  services. 
Dr.  Girardeau's  years  of  training  as  a  preacher  to  the 
poor  had  developed  his  powers  as  a  minister  of  the 
gospel  of  comfort.  His  most  characteristic  personal 
quality,  we  are  told  by  those  who  knew  him  best,  was 
deep  and  fervent  piety.  This  quality  marked  his  dis- 
courses, and  now  there  were  multitudes  in  South  Caro- 
lina and  other  states  who  desired  to  hear  the  gospel 
of  grace  from  his  lips.  Thus  was  he  gradually  led  away 
providentially  into  that  larger  field  of  service  as 
preacher  and  teacher  which  he  occupied  with  signal  suc- 
cess for  many  years. 

"Dr.  Girardeau  possessed  many  qualities  which  ap- 
peared to  advantage  in  the  pulpit,"  writes  Dr.  W.  T. 
Hall.  "In  person  and  voice,  in  intellectual  vigor,  in 
sweep  of  fancy,  in  depth  of  feeling  and  in  dramatic 
power  he  was  richly  endowed.  *  *  *  Pqj.  niany 
years  he  was  regarded  as  the  great  preacher  of  this 
[South  Atlantic  Seaboard]  section  of  the  church." 
From  1876  until  1895  he  occupied,  with  distinguished 
success,  the  chair  of  Systematic  Theology  in  Columbia 
Seminary  as  the  successor  of  William  S.  Plumer  and 
James  H.  Thornwell.  In  1898  he  was  called  to  receive 
the  reward  that  God  bestows  upon  those  who  keep  the 
faith. 

Three  choice  and  capable  men,  Jones,  Adger  and 
Girardeau,  were  thus  given  by  the  Presbyterians  of  the 
South  to  the  work  among  the  colored  people.  Others 
less  conspicuous  gave  their  entire  time  to  the  same  field 
of  labor.  Among  these  may  be  mentioned  Rev.  James 
Smylie  of  Mississippi,  who  in  his  later  years  "devoted 
his  time  exclusively  to  the  religion  of  the  negroes." 
He  organized  large  classes  for  study  and  trained  them 
to  recite  the  whole  of  the  Westminster  Shorter  Cate- 
chism. Even  before  the  publication  of  Dr.  Jones' 
Catechism,  Mr.   Smylie  prepared  a  catechism   for  the 


Religious  Instruction  Given  to  Slaves         305 

benefit  of  the  colored  people,  and  this  book  was  adopted 
for  colored  members  by  the  Synod  of  Mississippi. 

Moreover,  ever}'  minister  of  the  Southern  church 
preached  regularly  to  negroes  as  a  part  of  his  congrega- 
tion. The  large  galleries  in  the  churches  were  always 
crowded  with  colored  people.  Special  sermons  were 
preached  to  them,  and  colored  members  were  received 
into  ever}^  church.  Prayer-meetings  and  Sunday- 
schools  were  organized  for  iheir  benefit.  The  infant 
children  of  colored  church  members  were  baptized.  The 
white  minister  officiated  at  their  marriage  ceremonies 
and  in  the  burial  of  their  dead.  In  some  of  the  Presby- 
terian churches,  as,  for  example,  in  the  Old  Stone 
Church,  now  near  Clemson  College,  South  Carolina,  the 
colored  members  were  allowed  to  elect  from  their  own 
ranks  negro  elders  "to  superintend  the  conduct"  of  these 
same  negro  members  and  make  report  to  the  session  of 
the  church.  In  the  lists  of  church  members  these  chosen 
negroes  were  reported  as  "Elders." 

A  great  multitude  of  godly  men  and  women,  masters 
of  the  colored  people,  gave  religious  instruction  to  their 
own  wards  in  their  own  homes.  The  personal  relation- 
ship between  master  and  servant  was,  in  most  cases, 
based  upon  mutual  sympathy  and  affection.  In  thou- 
sands of  homes  in  the  South  there  Avere  servants  in  whom 
masters  reposed  that  high  degree  of  trust  and  confidence 
which  Abraham,  the  master,  manifested  toward  his 
servant,  Eliezer.  These  faithful  Southern  patriarchs 
gathered  together  every  Sunday  all  the  members  of  their 
households,  both  white  and  black,  and  taught  them  the 
fundamental  truths  of  the  Christian  religion.  They 
nursed  these  servants  during  sickness,  cared  for  them 
in  old  age  and  gave  them  comfort  when  death  was  near. 
As  far  as  possible  masters  enforced  faithfulness  to  the 
marriage  bond  and  taught  their  servants  to  walk  in 
godliness  and  honesty. 

The   fruit   of   all  these  evangelistic  labors   was   not 


306  Southern  Preshyterian  Leaders 

small.  At  the  end  of  eleven  years  of  toil  among  the 
colored  people,  Dr.  Charles  C.  Jones  wrote  as  follows: 
"The  religious  instruction  of  the  negroes  has  made  re- 
markable and  rapid  advances  throughout  the  Southern 
and  Southwestern  States  during  the  past  year  (1845)." 
He  made  reference  to  a  widespread  religious  revival,  and 
then  declared  that  "those  congregations  in  which  the 
religious  instruction  of  servants  received  most  attention 
shared  most  signally  in  the  blessing  of  God."  Many 
negroes,  he  declared,  were  entering  the  church  side  by 
side  with  white  members  of  the  same  households.  "The 
Lord  has  made  no  distinctions,"  wrote  Dr.  Jones,  "but 
has  poured  out  His  Spirit  as  well  upon  servants  as  upon 
masters.  We  must  identify  the  progress  of  the  religious 
instruction  of  negroes  with  the  progress  of  true  religion 
in  the  South."  Dr.  Jones  then  quoted  at  length  from 
the  reports  sent  in  by  Baptist,  Methodist,  Episcopal 
and  Presbyterian  workers,  and  closed  with  this  com- 
ment: "The  religious  instruction  of  the  negroes  has 
advanced  in  our  churches  in  a  remarkable  degree 
throughout  the  Southern  States.  We  behold  the  sub- 
ject appearing  in  the  acts  of  ecclesiastical  meetings  of 
all  denominations.  We  behold  individuals  of  the  highest 
standing  both  in  Church  and  State  the  most  efficient 
laborers  in  the  work." 

The  closeness  of  the  personal  relationship  between 
the  races  in  the  South  may  be  measured  by  the  fact  that 
the  average  number  of  negro  servants  was  less  than  ten 
to  each  master.  The  teaching  and  example  of  the  mas- 
ter had  great  weight  with  the  African  retainer.  We  are 
not  surprised,  therefore,  to  learn  from  trustworthy  rec- 
ords that  in  1860,  as  the  result  of  all  the  public  and  pri- 
vate evangelistic  agencies  in  operation,  nearly  500,000 
negroes  were  members  of  the  various  churches.  This 
represents  a  proportion  of  about  one  in  every  eight  of  the 
colored  population.  How  many  of  these  were  sincere 
Christians  it  is  impossible  to  say.     These  church  mem- 


Religious  Instruction  Given  to  Slaves         307 


bers,  however,  formed  a  strong  conservative  clement 
among  the  negroes.  Most  probably  this  large  body  of 
professing  Christians  constituted  the  principal  factor 
that  held  the  vast  majority  of  the  Southern  slaves  in  a 
purely  voluntary  servitude  upon  the  plantations  during 
the  period  of  the  war.  What  a  spectacle  was  that,  when 
millions  of  black  slaves  not  only  refrained  from  pillage 
and  acts  of  violence,  but  actually  by  the  labor  of  their 
own  hands  produced  the  crops  that  gave  food  to  the  white 
men  of  the  South  who  were  absent  from  home  in  the 
field  of  war.  Such  devotion  on  the  part  of  the  negroes 
could  have  had  no  other  source  than  the  faithfulness 
and  uprightness  of  the  Southern  masters. 


CHAPTER    XLIII. 

JAMES  HENLEY  THORNWELL  AS  PREACHER  AND  TEACHER. 

In  Marlborough  District,  South  CaroHna,  December 
9,  1812,  James  Henley  Thornwell  was  born.  His  father, 
James  Thornwell,  who  was  of  English  descent,  made  a 
slender  support  for  his  family  by  acting  as  manager  of 
a  plantation.  In  1820  the  father  died  and  left  wife  and 
children  to  a  struggle  with  poverty.  This  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Martha  Terrell,  was  descended  from 
some  of  the  worthy  Welsh  settlers  who  came  at  an  early 
date  to  the  upper  Pee  Dee  River.  She  was  endowed 
with  a  strong  mind  and  a  yet  stronger  will,  and  by 
unceasing  toil,  after  her  husband's  death,  kept  the  wolf 
from  the  door. 

Young  Thornwell  was  about  eleven  years  of  age  when 
he  entered  the  country  school  taught  by  Peter  Mc- 
Intyre,  a  Scot.  The  schoolhouse,  built  of  unhewn  logs, 
stood  not  far  from  his  mother's  home.  Eagerness  to 
learn  seemed  to  burn  like  a  fire  within  the  lad's  heart. 
A  large  part  of  every  night,  while  others  were  asleep, 
he  spent  at  work  upon  the  lessons  assigned  for  the  fol- 
lowing day,  and  in  reading  the  volumes  of  history  and 
literature  that  were  furnished  by  kind  neighbors.  While 
other  boys  were  at  play,  this  lad  of  small  stature  and 
pale  brow  was  bending  over  his  books.  He  made  a 
rapid  study  of  Hume's  History  of  England,  and  when 
men  heard  him  talk  about  the  historian's  work  they  were 
astonished  at  young  Thornwell's  understanding. 

Friends  were  speedily  raised  up  for  a  boy  so  richly 
endowed  with  mental  gifts.  Mr.  W.  H.  Robbins,  a 
young  lawyer,  brought  Thornwell  to  the  town  of  Cheraw 


JAMKS  HENI.EV  THORNWELL 


Facing  page  308 


Thornwell  as  Preacher  and  Teacher  309 

and  gave  him  a  place  of  honor  in  his  own  home.  As  if 
he  were  an  elder  brother  to  the  lad,  Robbins  took  per- 
sonal charge  of  Thornwell  in  his  studies  for  the  space 
of  three  years.  The  latter  attended  the  Cheraw 
Academy,  and,  during  a  part  of  the  time,  also,  read  law 
in  the  office  of  his  patron.  General  James  Gillespie,  a 
wealthy  planter  of  Marlborough  District,  also  came 
forward  with  generous  help  for  the  orphan.  Acting 
jointly,  Gillespie  and  Robbins  furnished  the  money  that 
enabled  Thornwell  to  complete  the  course  of  study  offered 
b}"^  the  South  Carolina  College.  Moreover,  these  two 
friends  were  always  ready  with  advice  and  encourage- 
ment to  assist  the  young  scholar  in  his  upward  course. 

Thornwell  was  just  entering  his  eighteenth  year  when 
he  began  work  in  January,  1830,  as  a  member  of  the 
Junior  Class  of  the  South  Carolina  College.  In  stature 
he  was  shorter  by  a  head  than  most  of  his  comrades ; 
he  was,  also,  very  lean,  his  skin  had  the  color  of  old 
parchment,  and  his  face  and  hands  were  covered  with 
black  freckles.  In  spite  of  these  physical  disadvantages, 
Thornwell  was  regarded  from  the  beginning  by  his  class- 
mates as  foremost  among  them  all.  A  strong,  keen 
mind,  associated  with  relentless  toil,  enabled  the  lad 
from  the  country  district  to  make  remarkable  progress. 
Fourteen  hours  a  day  he  gave  to  severe  study.  The 
classics  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  tongues  engaged  his 
chief  attention.  Besides  these,  however,  he  read  many 
volumes  in  mental  philosophy.  "He  used  the  library," 
we  are  told,  "as  no  student  before  him  had  ever  done." 
In  order  to  improve  his  style  in  speaking  and  writing 
he  filled  his  mind  with  the  choicest  treasures  of  the  Eng- 
lish form  of  speech.  "Language,"  said  Thornwell, 
"was  my  great  difficulty  in  early  life.  I  had  no  natural 
command  of  words.  I  undertook  to  remedy  the  defect 
by  committing  to  memory  large  portions  of  the  New 
Testament,  the  Psalms,  and  much  of  the  Prophets, 
also  whole  dramas  of  Shakespeare,  and  a  great  part  of 


310  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

Milton's  Paradise  Lost;  so  that  you  might  start  me  at 
any  line  in  any  drama  or  book,  and  I  would  go  through 
to  the  end."  This  practice  was  begun  before  entering 
college,  for  we  are  told  that  while  he  was  a  boy  at  the 
Cheraw  Academy  he  could  recite  entire  pages  of  Stew- 
art's Philosophy.  In  later  years  he  astonished  his  con- 
temporaries by  repeating  in  conversation  or  in  debate 
long  passages  from  such  writers  as  Jonathan  Edwards, 
John  Owen,  Robert  Hall  and  Edmund  Burke. 

Thornwell  was  soon  recognized  as  the  best  debater  in 
the  College  Literary  Society  of  which  he  was  a  member. 
Sometimes,  in  speaking,  he  indulged  in  sarcasm.  His 
words  seemed  to  flow  like  a  stream,  rapid  and  strong. 
Moreover,  he  won  the  admiration  of  his  comrades  by 
the  frequent  quotation  of  both  ancient  and  modern 
writers.  The  highest  distinctions  which  the  college  and 
his  classmates  could  confer  were  bestowed  upon  him  at 
his  graduation  in  December,  1831,  when  he  was  only 
nineteen  years  of  age. 

Teaching  a  few  private  pupils  was  the  work  that  first 
engaged  the  attention  of  the  young  graduate.  At  the 
same  time  he  continued  his  strenuous  mode  of  studying 
Greek,  Latin  and  German.  "I  have  commenced  regu- 
larly with  Xenophon's  works,"  he  writes,  "and  intend 
to  read  them  carefully.  I  shall  then  take  up  Thucydides, 
Herodotus  and  Demosthenes.  After  mastering  these  I 
shall  pass  on  to  the  philosophers  and  poets.  In  Latin 
I  am  going  regularly  through  Cicero's  writings.  I  read 
them  by  double  translations ;  that  is,  I  first  translate 
them  into  English  and  then  retranslate  them  into  Latin. 
In  German  I  am  pursuing  Goethe's  works.  My  life, 
you  can  plainly  see,  is  not  a  life  of  idleness." 

A  private  school  in  the  town  of  Sumter  was  secured 
for  Thornwell.  About  the  time  when  he  began  work  in 
that  place  (May,  1832),  he  made  an  annovinccment 
of  his  Christian  faith  by  uniting  with  Concord  Presby- 
terian Clmrch  of  which  John  McEwen  was  then  pastor. 


Thornwell  as  Preacher  and  Teacher  311 

Prior  to  this  confession,  a  fierce  conflict  took  place  in 
his  mind  with  reference  to  the  Bible  doctrines  of  sin  and 
salvation.  With  this  issue  adjusted,  and  the  principles 
of  the  gospel  firmly  established  in  his  understanding, 
the  Spirit  entered  and  assumed  control,  but  in  a  manner 
so  quiet  that  Thornwell  was  unable  to  point  out  the  exact 
time  when  he  became  a  Christian.  In  connection  with 
his  public  profession  as  a  Christian,  he  told  his  friends 
of  his  purpose  to  become  a  minister  of  the  gospel. 

During  the  period  of  about  two  years,  from  1832  to 
183-1,  Thoi-nwell  was  engaged  as  teacher  in  the  Cheraw 
Academy,  the  school  in  which  he  had  received  his  own 
preparatory  training.  The  work  of  acquiring  knowl- 
edge had  now  become  the  ruling  passion  of  his  life.  His 
days  and  nights  were  given  up  to  mental  toil  that  knew 
no  rest.  At  the  same  time,  the  imparting  of  knowledge 
to  others  called  into  play  the  highest  powers  of  mind 
and  heart.  He  began  to  show  enthusiasm  as  a  teacher. 
His  intellect  seemed  to  expand,  and,  strange  to  say,  his 
diminutive  body  began  again  to  grow.  He  became  a 
head  taller,  thus  reaching  the  ordinary  height  of  men, 
and  his  complexion  threw  off  its  sallow  hue.  Trans- 
formed in  physical  appearance  he  stood  before  his  friends 
as  a  man  of  vigor  and  power.  He  felt  that  he  was  ready 
to  enter  upon  the  special  field  of  work  that  he  had 
chosen.  In  the  summer  of  1834,  therefore,  Thornwell 
entered  the  theological  seminary  located  at  Andover, 
Massachusetts.  He  had  been  persuaded  by  a  friend 
that  he  could  find  superior  advantages  in  this  school. 
Within  a  few  weeks  he  left  the  seminary,  announcing  to 
his  friends  that  he  was  not  at  all  pleased  with  the  char- 
acter of  the  instruction  given  at  Andover.  Moreover, 
the  courses  of  study  were  limited,  he  wrote,  since  he  was 
not  able  to  secure  any  instruction  in  German,  Syriac, 
Chaldean  and  Arabic.  The  early  days  of  August,  there- 
fore, found  him  established  as  a  student  in  Harvard 
University.     He  devoted  himself  chiefly  to  the  study  of 


312  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

Hebrew  and  German,  at  the  same  time  attending  lec- 
tures in  the  Divinity  School  in  Cambridge.  Moreover, 
the  libraries  gave  him  intense  satisfaction.  He  wrote 
to  his  friends  that  he  was  giving  fifteen  hours  a  day  to 
study  and  that  he  was  collecting  material  for  an  elabo- 
rate book  which  he  proposed  to  write  "on  the  philosophy 
of  the  Greek  language."  He  did  not  complete  the  book, 
but,  no  doubt,  he  enjoyed  many  a  strenuous  conflict  in 
debate  with  his  fellow-students.  "I  room  in  Divinity 
Hall,"  he  wrote,  "among  the  Unitarian  students  of 
theology,  for  there  are  no  others  here.  I  shall  expect  to 
meet  and  give  blows  in  defense  of  ni}'^  own  peculiar  doc- 
trines, and  God  forbid  that  I  should  falter  in  main- 
taining the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints.  I  look 
upon  the  tenets  of  modern  Unitarianism  as  little  better 
than  downright  infidelity." 

When  the  autumn  of  the  year  came  upon  Thornwell 
in  Cambridge,  the  severit}'^  of  the  weather  gave  warning 
that  so  delicate  a  frame  as  his  could  not  endure  the 
northern  climate.  He  came  southward  again,  and  in 
November,  1834,  was  licensed  by  Harmony  Presbytery 
to  preach  the  gospel.  For  more  than  a  year  prior  to 
this  time  he  had  been  devoting  all  of  his  energies  to  the 
mastery  of  theological  subjects  and  the  presbytery 
found  him  well  prepared.  Early  in  1835  he  became 
pastor  of  the  church  in  the  small  town  of  Lancaster, 
South  Carolina.  Two  other  congregations,  the  old 
mother  church  of  Waxhaws  and  the  church  of  Six-Mile 
Creek,  were  also  placed  under  his  care.  From  one  of 
these  charges  to  another  he  was  in  the  habit  of  driving 
through  the  country  at  a  very  high  rate  of  speed  behind 
a  mettlesome  horse  named  "Red  Rover."  His  style  of 
preaching  caught  the  attention  of  the  people  and  held 
them  fast.  He  manifested  great  earnestness  in  the  pul- 
pit ;  his  eye  kindled  with  excitement  and  his  whole  frame 
quivered.  His  theme,  at  that  early  day  in  his  career, 
was  a  practical  appeal  to  sinners  to  accept  now  the  sal- 


Thornwell  as  Preacher  and  Teacher  313 

ration  which  is  offered.  So  many  came  to  hear  him  that 
each  one  of  his  small  churches  was  crowded  with  eager 
listeners.  The  ordinary  length  of  his  sermons  was,  at 
that  time,  about  thirty  minutes.  One  Sunday  morning, 
however,  after  he  had  been  preaching  for  an  hour  and 
a  half,  he  stopped  suddenly,  looked  at  his  watch  and 
made  an  apology  by  saying  that  he  had  not  been  con- 
scious of  taking  so  much  time.  "Go  on  !  Go  on  !"  This 
was  the  exclamation  heard  from  every  part  of  the  house. 
He  continued  to  preach,  therefore,  an  hour  longer. 
After  hearing  the  sermon,  an  old  father  said  to  his  boy : 
"My  son,  if  you  ever  had  a  doubt  about  the  truth  and 
perfection  of  the  plan  of  salvation,  you  surely  can  have 
none  now.  I  have  been  studying  that  subject  all  my 
life,  but  I  never  saw  it  before  as  I  do  now.  Now  I  am 
ready  to  die,  that  I  may  enter  upon  its  full  enjoyment." 
On  December  3, 1835,  James  H.  Thornwell  and  Nancy 
White  Witherspoon  were  joined  together  in  holy  wed- 
lock. Graciousness  of  spirit  and  practical  wisdom  were 
the  ruling  qualities  of  the  woman  who  became  henceforth 
his  chief  counsellor.  Through  her  influence  his  char- 
acter became  more  nearly  complete.  A  certain  sensitive- 
ness that  marked  his  early  years  passed  away,  and  the 
spirit  of  sympathy  took  possession  of  him.  A  native 
buoyancy  of  spirit  asserted  itself  and  his  friends  were 
delighted  with  the  play  of  his  wit.  As  in  a  flash  he 
could  pass  from  the  severe  to  the  gay  and  exchange 
abstract  reasoning  for  the  exuberant  pleasantry  of  good 
fellowship.  His  religious  experience,  also,  assumed  a 
more  devout  character.  The  careful  searching  of  the 
Scriptures,  day  after  day,  drew  him  into  closer  com- 
munion with  his  God.  He  was  strengthened,  moreover, 
through  association  with  a  fellow-minister  of  the  gospel, 
Pierpont  E.  Bishop,  whom  Thomweli  called  "a  precious 
and  a  godly  man."  Bishop's  piety  was  so  gentle  and 
pervasive  in  its  quality  that  it  shed  sweet  fragrance 
upon  the  heart  and  life  of  Thornwell.     The  latter  soon 


314  Southern  Preshyterian  Leaders 

became  one  of  the  most  lovable  among  men.  The  charm 
of  his  personality,  combined  with  the  power  of  his  elo- 
quence, led  many  souls  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  A 
ministry  so  fruitful  could  not  be  limited  to  a  narrow 
field,  and  at  the  close  of  a  pastorate  of  a  little  more 
than  two  years  he  was  offered  a  chair  in  the  South  Caro- 
lina College. 

On  January  1,  1838,  he  began  to  teach  logic  and 
mental  philosophy.  The  latter  was  a  favorite  sub- 
ject of  study  with  him,  and  the  charm  of  his  lectures 
upon  this  theme  soon  drew  a  large  company  of  pupils 
to  his  feet.  Two  years  later,  however  (1840),  he  gave 
up  the  teacher's  chair  and  became  pastor  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  the  town  of  Columbia.  Dr.  B.  M. 
Palmer,  who  first  met  Thornwell  about  that  time,  tells 
us  that  the  latter  had  "a  thin,  spare  form,  with  a  slight 
stoop  in  the  shoulders ;"  that  his  soft  black  hair  fell 
obliquely  over  his  forehead,  and  his  small  eye  had  "a 
wonderful  gleam  when  it  was  lighted  by  the  inspiration 
of  his  theme."  The  opening  exercises  of  the  service, 
writes  Palmer,  were  conducted  with  simplicity  and  quiet- 
ness, "but  from  the  opening  of  the  discourse  there  was 
a  strange  fascination"  exercised  by  the  speaker  upon 
his  congregation.  "As  link  after  link  was  added  to  the 
chain  of  a  consistent  argument  expressed  with  that 
agonistic  fervor  which  belongs  to  the  forum,  the  effect 
at  the  close  was  to  overwhelm  and  subdue."  Thus,  even 
at  the  early  age  of  twenty-eight  years,  Thornwell  was 
showing  forth  from  the  pulpit  that  matchless  power  of 
speech  which  never  failed  to  enchant  every  audience  that 
he  addressed. 

In  January,  1841,  Thornwell  resigned  his  pastorate 
and  again  accepted  a  chair  in  the  South  Carolina  Col- 
lege. The  pressure  upon  him  from  friends  of  the  college 
in  every  part  of  the  state  was  so  strong  that  he  could 
not  refuse  their  appeals.  Moreover,  the  chaplaincy  of 
the  college,  now  assigned  to  him,  gave  an  opportunity 


Tliornwell  as  Preacher  and  Teacher  315 

to  preach  directly  to  the  body  of  students.  His  work 
as  teacher  was  confined  chiefly  to  the  evidences  of  Chris- 
tianity. However,  that  marvelous  voice  as  preacher  of 
the  word  was  not  silenced,  and  regularly  each  Lord's 
Day  he  delivered  the  message  of  salvation. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1841  sudden  attacks  of 
physical  weakness  warned  him  that  rest  was  necessary. 
He  set  sail  at  once,  therefore,  for  a  journey  across  the 
Atlantic.  Several  weeks  in  England,  Scotland  and 
upon  the  Continent  opened  his  mind  to  a  consideration 
of  the  art  treasures  of  the  old  world.  His  strength  was 
soon  built  up,  and  in  September,  1841,  he  returned  home. 
As  he  drove  across  the  border-line  separating  North 
Carolina  from  South  Carolina,  Thornwell  sprang  out 
of  the  carriage  and,  falling  down  upon  the  soil  of  his 
native  state,  kissed  it  reverently  with  his  lips.  This 
act  was  only  a  sign  of  this  great  man's  sincere  devotion 
to  his  own  people. 

During  the  years  that  followed,  Thornwell  was  grad- 
ually led  into  controversial  speaking  and  writing  with 
reference  to  ecclesiastical  issues  until  he  became  recog- 
nized as  the  most  powerful  debater  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  at  that  time  in  our  entire  country.  Some  of  the 
issues  discussed  were  the  functions  of  church  boards,  the 
jurisdiction  of  elders  in  church  courts  and  the  relation- 
ship of  church  courts  to  temperance  societies.  In  connec- 
tion with  these  discussions,  Thornwell  entered  into  an  in- 
timate friendship  with  Robert  J.  Breckinridge,  then  pas- 
tor of  the  Second  Church,  Baltimore.  Thornwell's  arti- 
cles began  to  appear  in  the  church  periodicals,  and  in 
1845  he  published  a  volume  in  refutation  of  the  teach- 
ings of  the  Church  of  Rome.  In  1847  he  was  chosen 
moderator  of  the  General  Assembly  in  session  at  Rich- 
mond, Virginia.  Before  that  body  he  delivered  a  dis- 
course on  popery,  with  reference  to  which  Dr.  James  W. 
Alexander  wrote  as  follows :  "Dr.  Thornwell  is  the 
great  man  of  the  South,  and  I  do  not  think  his  learning 


316  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

or  powers  of  mind  overrated.  His  speech  on  taking  the 
[moderator's]  chair  was  a  masterpiece.  His  sermon 
was  ill-delivered,  but,  nevertheless,  a  model  of  what  is 
rare,  viz:  burning,  hot  argument,  logic  in  ignition,  and 
glowing  more  and  more  to  the  end." 

With  reference  to  a  system  of  education.  Dr.  Thorn- 
well  at  that  time  held  the  view  that  the  state  is  competent 
to  establish  and  conduct  religious  schools  and  that  the 
churches,  therefore,  need  not  undertake  to  build  colleges. 
The  security  for  the  maintenance  of  religion  in  state  col- 
leges, he  asserted,  "lies  in  the  public  opinion  of  the  whole 
community."  Later  in  his  life,  however,  he  declared  that 
if  the  state  schools  should  fail  to  give  a  religious  edu- 
cation that  the  churches  must  undertake  that  work. 
His  letters  show  that  he  was  not  satisfied  with 
holding  a  teacher's  position,  but  longed  continually 
to  take  up  again  the  work  of  the  pastorate.  In  the 
spring  of  1851  he  resigned  his  chair  and  became  pastor 
of  the  Glebe  Street  Church  in  Charleston.  Once  more 
large  audiences  flocked  to  hear  him  in  his  own  pulpit. 
The  friends  of  the  college,  however,  would  not  release 
their  hold  upon  him,  and  in  December,  1851,  he  was 
chosen  president  of  the  South  Carolina  College. 
Throughout  a  period  of  four  years,  therefore,  from  the 
beginning  of  1852  to  the  close  of  the  year  1855,  he  occu- 
pied with  increasing  success  that  important  position. 
Through  the  force  of  his  own  character  Dr.  Thornwell 
moulded  the  opinions  and  shaped  the  conduct  of  virtually 
all  of  the  students  who  attended  the  college  during  his 
presidency.  The  church,  however,  was  in  sore  need  of  his 
services,  and  in  December,  1855,  he  began  the  work  of 
teaching  theology  in  the  Columbia  Seminary.  At  the 
same  time  Dr.  B.  M.  Palmer  was  made  professor  of 
church  history  in  the  same  institution.  The  presence 
of  these  two  men  of  genius  and  spiritual  power  in  the 
faculty  of  the  seminary  placed  the  latter  among  the  very 
foremost  divinity  schools  in   our  country.     Thornwell 


Thornwell  as  Preacher  and  Teacher  317 

became  at  the  same  time  editor  of  tlie  Southern  Quarterly 
Review,  and  for  the  most  part,  also,  served  the  church 
in  Columbia  as  pastor. 

In  the  classroom  Thornwell's  pupils  regarded  him  as 
without  an  equal.  The  accuracy  of  his  knowledge,  to- 
gether with  its  wide  range,  made  him  without  doubt  the 
most  illuminating  instructor  of  his  time  in  theological 
and  philosophical  subjects.  His  writings  upon  these 
themes,  moreover,  have  come  down  to  us  to  bear  witness 
to  the  depth  of  his  understanding.  As  a  preacher 
of  the  gospel,  however,  more  than  in  any  other  respect, 
Thornwell  stood  supreme  in  his  own  generation.  One  of 
his  sermons  was  pronounced  by  Dr.  J.  Addison  Alex- 
ander "as  fine  a  specimen  of  Demosthenian  eloquence" 
as  he  had  ever  heard  from  the  pulpit,  and  that  it 
"realized  his  idea  of  what  preaching  should  be."  At 
Indianapolis,  Indiana,  during  the  sessions  of  the  Presby- 
terian Assembly  in  1859,  he  delivered  a  sermon  which,  we 
are  told,  melted  his  entire  audience  into  tears.  Dr.  Hewitt 
of  Connecticut  said  of  one  of  Thornwell's  discourses  that 
"no  sermon  has  been  produced  in  our  country,  in  my 
day,  in  any  pulpit,  equal  to  it."  "The  feature  most 
remarkable  in  this  prince  of  pulpit  orators,"  writes 
Dr.  B.  M.  Palmer,  "was  the  rare  union  of  vigorous  logic 
with  strong  emotion.  Dr.  Thornwell  wove  his  argument 
in  fire,  and  the  speaker  was  borne  along  in  what  seemed 
to  others  a  chariot  of  flame.  Kindling  with  a  secret 
inspiration,  his  manner  lost  its  slight  constraint,  his 
slender  form  dilated;  his  deep  black  eye  lost  its  droop- 
ing expression,  until  his  fiery  eloquence,  rising  with  the 
greatness  of  his  conceptions,  burst  upon  the  hearer  in 
some  grand  climax  overwhelming  in  its  majesty  and 
resistless  in  its  effect.  In  all  this  there  was  no  declama- 
tion, no  straining  for  effect.  All  was  natural,  the  sim- 
ple product  of  thought  and  feeling  wonderfully  com- 
bined." "In  the  most  rapid  flow  of  his  speech,"  writes 
Palmer  again,  "his  diction  was  beyond  impeachment. 


318  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

It  was  always  the  right  word  for  the  thought.  To  pre- 
cision and  copiousness  was  added  a  certain  richness  of 
expression,  a  courtliness  of  style  which  can  only  be 
explained  by  the  majesty  of  the  thought.  This  genera- 
tion will  never  look  upon  his  like  again ;  a  single  century 
cannot  afford  to  produce  his  equal.  It  may  listen  to 
much  lucid  exposition,  much  close  and  powerful  reason- 
ing, much  tender  and  earnest  appeal,  much  beautiful 
and  varied  imagery ;  but  never  from  the  lips  of  one  man 
can  it  be  stirred  by  vigor  of  argument  fused  by  a 
seraph's  glow  and  pouring  itself  forth  in  strains  which 
linger  in  the  memory  like  the  chant  of  angels." 

Thornwell  was  a  delegate  to  the  General  Assembly  on 
ten  separate  occasions.  Each  time,  at  least  during  his 
later  years,  he  exercised  an  influence  greater,  perhaps, 
than  that  of  any  other  member.  The  clearness  of  his 
thinking  made  him  a  natural  leader  in  every  debate. 
"But  the  moral  quality,"  writes  Palmer,  "which  more 
than  all  contributed  to  his  vast  influence,  was  the  trans- 
parent honesty  of  his  heart.  He  was  no  intriguer; 
had  no  by-ends  to  accomplish ;  never  worked  by  indirec- 
tion. His  heart  was  in  his  hand  and  every  man  could 
read  it.  Straightforward  himself,  he  dealt  honestly 
with  his  colleagues,  and  if  he  could  not  carry  his  point 
by  fair  argument,  he  was  content  to  fail." 

Dr.  Thornwell's  last  appearance  in  the  General  As- 
sembly of  the  undivided  church  was  at  Rochester,  New 
York,  in  May,  1860.  A  great  debate  took  place  in  that 
assembly  between  Dr.  Thornwell  and  Dr.  Charles  Hodge 
with  reference  to  church  boards.  Thornwell  opposed 
them  on  the  ground  that  they  were  not  organs  of  the 
church,  but  separate  organisms,  appointed  to  take  the 
place  of  the  assembly.  He  did  not  secure  a  majority  vote 
for  his  view,  but  the  close  of  his  address  had  a  marked 
effect. 

We   are   told   that   the  whole   of  the   vast   audience 


Thorrvwell  as  Preacher  and  Teacher  319 

sat  in  breathless  attention  while  Thornwell,  in  a  thi'illing 
appeal,  summoned  the  entire  host  of  God's  elect  to  come 
up  to  the  work  of  giving  the  Gospel  to  a  lost  world. 
The  summer  of  1860  found  Dr.  Thornwell  in  a  weakened 
physical  state.  A  few  months  spent  in  Europe,  how- 
ever, restored  him  to  health.  In  the  closing  months  of 
the  year  the  Southern  people  began  the  formation  of 
the  Southern  Confederacy,  and  in  this  work  Dr.  Thorn- 
well enlisted  himself,  mind  and  soul.  He  had  clung 
to  the  old  Federal  Union  throughout  the  crisis  of  1850, 
using  voice  and  pen  at  that  time  to  persuade  his  people 
not  to  withdraw  from  the  Union.  But  in  December, 
1860,  after  the  secession  of  South  Carolina,  he  wrote: 
"I  believe  that  we  have  done  right.  I  do  not  see  any 
other  course  that  was  left  to  us.  I  am  heart  and  hand 
with  the  state  in  her  movement." 

Early  in  1861  he  published  in  the  Southern  Presby- 
terian Review  a  defense  of  the  secession  of  the  Southern 
states,  which  Chancellor  Job  Johnston  pronounced  "a 
model  state  paper."  When  the  great  struggle  began 
Thornwell's  physical  infirmities  forced  him  to  remain 
at  home,  but  he  sent  his  son,  a  mere  lad,  to  enter  the 
lists  as  a  soldier.  "A  noble  boy;  he  is  all  pluck;  his 
heart  is  in  the  cause."  Such  was  the  father's  proud 
boast  concerning  the  gallant  young  hero  who  after- 
wards sealed  with  his  life's  blood  his  devotion  to  his 
country.  Dr.  Thornwell's  pen  was  a  mighty  power  in 
urging  on  his  countrymen  to  struggle  in  behalf  of  their 
rights.  "Our  Danger  and  Our  Duty"  is  the  title  of 
the  principal  pamphlet  which  he  issued  as  an  appeal  to 
the  South  to  keep  up  the  fight  against  the  invasion  of 
her  territory. 

In  May,  1861,  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  in  session  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia, 
adopted  the  resolution  offered  by  Dr.  Gardiner  Spring 
of  New  York  to  the  effect  that  the  Presbyterian  Church 


320  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

must  "strengthen,  uphold  and  encourage  the  Federal 
government  in  the  exercise  of  all  its  functions."  Since 
the  Federal  government  was  at  that  time  preparing  to 
wage  war  against  the  Southern  people,  and  since  the 
great  body  of  the  Presbyterians  of  the  South,  ministers, 
elders,  deacons,  private  members,  including  both  men 
and  women  and  even  children  and  negro  slaves,  was 
entering  the  lists  to  meet  the  hostile  forces  levied  by  the 
Federal  government,  in  the  light  of  these  facts  it  is 
clear  that  the  Spring  resolution  meant  that  Southern 
Presbyterians  could  no  longer  regard  themselves  as 
members  of  the  church  of  their  fathers.  Dr.  Charles 
Hodge  of  Princeton  as  leader  of  the  minority  in  the 
assembly  made  an  earnest  protest  against  the  action 
of  the  majority  on  the  ground  that  Southern  members 
were  thereby  driven  "to  choose  between  allegiance  to 
their  state  and  allegiance  to  the  church." 

The  Spring  resolution  was,  of  course,  a  political  utter- 
ance given  forth  by  an  ecclesiastical  body.  During  the 
summer  and  autumn  of  1861,  therefore,  forty-seven 
presbyteries,  each  acting  for  itself,  dissolved  connection 
with  the  existing  General  Assembly.  The  reason 
assigned  in  each  case  was  "the  unconstitutional,  Eras- 
tian,  tyrannical  and  virtually  exscinding  act"  of  the 
Philadelphia  Assembly.  The  ten  Southern  synods  gave 
their  sanction  to  the  acts  of  withdrawal  adopted  by  the 
presbyteries. 

A  convention,  made  up  of  delegates  from  the  Southern 
presbyteries,  was  held  at  Atlanta,  Georgia,  in  August, 
1861,  to  formulate  plans  for  the  organization  of  a  sepa- 
rate assembly.  In  the  management  of  all  of  these 
separate  and  varied  movements  on  the  part  of  the  pres- 
byteries, Thornwell  bore  a  leading  part.  In  the  next 
chapter  in  this  book  we  shall  see  him  once  more  as 
principal  leader  in  an  association  of  godly  men,  minis- 
ters and  elders,  at  Augusta,  Georgia,  in  December, 
1861,  using  all  of  his  great  powers  of  heart  and  mind 


Thornwell  as  Preacher  and  Teacher  321 

in  formulating  the  principles  of  the  Southern  Presby- 
terian Church  as  a  separate  organization.  Soon  after 
that  event  a  wasting  malady  seized  upon  his  frame  and 
he  gradually  faded  away.  On  August  1, 1862,  at  Char- 
lotte, North  Carolina,  with  a  smile  of  peace  playing 
about  his  lips.  Dr.  Thornwell  ceased  to  breathe  and  his 
pure  spirit  passed  into  the  presence  of  God. 


Part  IV. — Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders  Since 

1861. 

CHAPTER    XLIV. 

JAMES    H.    THORNWELL   SETS    FORTH   THE    PRINCIPLES   OF 
THE    SOUTHERN    PRESBYTERIANS. 

On  the  morning  of  December  4,  1861,  a  body  of  min- 
isters and  ruling  elders,  ninety-three  in  number,  came 
together  at  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in  Augusta, 
Georgia.  They  presented  their  credentials  and  were 
enrolled  as  the  representatives  of  the  forty-seven  presby- 
teries that  composed  the  ten  synods  of  the  Southern 
states  and  territories.  Fifty-nine  of  the  delegates  were 
of  Scotch-Irish  and  Scotch  descent,  twenty-seven  were 
English  and  five  were  of  Huguenot  origin.  They  were 
all  men  of  experience,  for  the  average  age  of  the  com- 
missioners was  more  than  fifty  years.  Among  the 
ministers  were  John  H.  Bocock  of  Baltimore,  William 
Henry  Foote,  James  B.  Ramsay,  Theodorick  Pryor, 
Peyton  Harrison,  William  T.  Richardson  and  Francis 
McFarland  of  Virginia ;  Robert  H.  Morrison,  R.  Hett. 
Chapman  and  Drury  Lacy  of  North  Carolina;  James 
H.  Thornwell,  A.  W,  Leland,  John  B.  Adger  and  J. 
Leighton  Wilson  of  South  Carolina;  John  S.  Wilson, 
Charles  Colcock  Jones  and  Joseph  R.  Wilson  of  Geor- 
gia; John  N.  Waddel  of  Tennessee,  Benjamin  M.  Pal- 
mer of  New  Orleans,  and  James  A.  Lyon  of  Mississippi. 
Among  the  ruling  elders  were  Chancellor  Job  Johnston, 
one  of  the  Supreme  Judges  of  the  State  of  South  Caro- 
lina, Judge  William  A.  Forward  of  Florida,  Judge  J. 
G.  Shepherd  and  Dr.  J.  H.  Dickson  of  North  Carolina, 

322 


Principles  of  the  Southern  Presbyterians       323 

Judge  J.  T.  Swaync  of  Tennessee,  Hons.  W.  S.  Mitchell 
of  Georgia,  William  P.  Webb  of  Alabama,  Thomas  C. 
Perrin  and  William  P.  Finley  of  South  Carolina.  Dr. 
Francis  McFarland,  an  aged  minister  from  the  Synod 
of  Virginia,  was  called  to  the  chair.  His  first  act  as 
temporary  moderator  was  to  make  the  suggestion  that 
Dr.  Benjamin  M.  Palmer  should  deliver  the  opening 
sermon.  This  suggestion  received  the  cordial  support 
of  the  commissioners,  and  Dr.  Palmer  came  forward  and 
began  to  preach  upon  the  theme,  "Christ,  the  Head  of 
the  Church"  (Eph.  1:  22,  23).  As  he  brought  his 
solemn  discourse  to  a  close,  Dr.  Palmer  said:  "Do  we 
understand,  fathers  and  brethren,  the  mission  of  the 
church  given  us  here  to  execute?  It  is  to  lift  up 
throughout  the  world  our  testimony  for  this  Headship 
of  Christ.  The  convocation  of  this  assembly  is  in  part 
that  testimony.  But  a  little  while  since  it  was  attempted 
in  the  most  august  court  of  our  church  to  place  the 
crown  of  our  Lord  upon  the  head  of  Ca,'sar — to  bind 
that  body  which  is  Christ's  fullness  to  the  chariot  in 
which  that  Cffisar  rides.  The  intervening  months  have 
sufficiently  discovered  the  character  of  that  state  under 
whose  yoke  this  church  was  summoned  to  bow  her  neck 
in  meek  obedience.  But  in  advance  of  these  disclosures, 
the  voice  went  up,  throughout  our  land,  of  indignant 
remonstrance  against  the  usurpation,  of  solemn  protest 
against  the  sacrilege.  And  now  this  parliament  of  the 
Lord's  freemen  solemnly  declares  that,  by  the  terms  of 
her  great  charter,  none  but  Jesus  may  be  the  king  in 
Zion.  Once  more  in  this  distant  age  and  in  these  ends 
of  the  earth  the  church  must  declare  for  the  supremacy 
of  her  head,  and  fling  out  the  consecrated  ensign  with 
the  old  inscription,  'For  Christ  and  His  crown.'  " 

The  assembly  was  formally  organized  by  the  election 
of  Dr.  Palmer  as  moderator,  and,  then,  upon  the  motion 
of  Dr.  Thornwell,  it  was  resolved  that  the  name  of  the 
church  should  be  The  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  Con- 


324  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

federate  States  of  America.  The  Westminster  Con- 
fession of  Faith,  Catechisms,  Form  of  Government, 
Book  of  Discipline  and  Directory  for  Worship  were 
adopted  as  the  Constitution  of  the  church.  It  was 
determined,  also,  that  the  work  of  the  church  should  be 
conducted  through  the  direct  agency  of  executive  com- 
mittees, chosen  by  the  assembly  and  immediately  re- 
sponsible to  the  assembly. 

It  must  be  remembered  that,  at  the  time  when  this 
Southern  Church  was  organized,  the  fires  of  deadly  war- 
fare had  been  already  kindled,  and  the  great  body  of 
the  men  of  the  congregations  were  in  the  field  with  rifles 
in  their  hands.  The  members  of  this  General  Assembly 
were  in  full  sympathy  with  the  men  in  the  armies  of  the 
South,  and  yet  there  was  not  heard  in  the  church  in  which 
the  assembly  held  its  sessions  even  an  echo  from  the  field 
of  war  nor  from  the  forum  of  political  debate.  The 
court  of  the  church  did  not  sound  a  call  to  arms,  nor  un- 
furl a  flag,  nor  make  an  announcement  of  political  prin- 
ciples. The  assembly  began  its  work  with  quiet  dignity 
by  declaring  that  the  work  of  preaching  the  gospel  in 
"all  the  world"  is  the  chief  work  of  the  Southern  Pres- 
byterian Church  and  "the  great  end  of  her  organi- 
zation." The  assembly  determined  to  send  at  once  six 
new  missionaries  to  the  Indian  tribes  of  the  Southwest, 
and  the  churches  were  called  upon  to  give  money  for  the 
support  of  those  Southern  ministers  who  were  already 
laboring  as  missionaries  in  foreign  fields.  That  stal- 
wart man  of  God,  Dr.  J.  Leighton  Wilson,  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  assembly  to  manage  the  foreign  work. 

On  the  evening  of  the  sixth  day  the  members  of  the 
assembly  listened  to  an  address  upon  the  subject  of 
evangelistic  work  among  the  negroes.  The  speaker  was 
Dr.  Charles  Colcock  Jones,  the  Apostle  to  the  Africans 
in  the  South.  By  reason  of  long  sickness,  Dr.  Jones 
was  unable  to  stand  throughout  the  delivery  of  the  ad- 
dress.    He,  therefore,  seated  himself  in  a  chair  for  an 


Principles  of  the  Southern  Presbyterians       325 

hour  and  a  half  and  held  the  unbroken  attention  of  the 
assembly  and  the  great  company  of  people  who  filled 
the  church.  "These  sons  of  Ham,"  said  Dr.  Jones  with 
reference  to  the  negroes,  "are  black  in  the  first  pages  of 
history,  and  they  continue  black."  "But,"  said  he,  "they 
share  our  physical  nature,  our  intellectual  and  spiritual 
nature ;  each  body  among  them  covers  an  immortal  soul. 
They  are  men  created  in  the  image  of  God,  to  be  ac- 
knowledged and  cared  for  spiritually  by  us,  as  we 
acknowledge  and  care  for  the  other  varieties  of  the 
race." 

"They  are  not  foreigners,"  continued  the  speaker, 
"but  our  nearest  neighbors  ;  they  are  not  hired  servants, 
but  servants  belonging  to  us  in  law  and  gospel.  They 
are  constant  and  inseparable  associates ;  whither  we  go, 
they  go ;  where'  we  dwell,  they  dwell ;  where  we  die  and  are 
buried,  there  they  die  and  are  buried ;  and,  more  than  all, 
our  God  is  their  God." 

With  moving  eloquence  the  devoted  evangelist  urged 
the  members  of  the  assembly  to  devise  enlarged  measures 
for  giving  the  gospel  of  Christ  to  the  black  race.  The 
assembly  manifested  full  sympathy  with  the  views  of 
Dr.  Jones  and  made  a  cordial  response  to  his  appeal. 
The  Executive  Committee  of  Domestic  Missions,  with 
Dr.  John  Leyburn  appointed  as  secretary,  was  directed 
to  give  serious  and  constant  attention  to  "the  great  field 
of  missionary  operations  among  our  colored  popu- 
lation." 

On  the  morning  of  the  fourth  day  of  the  session  of 
the  assembly  the  slender  form  of  Dr.  Thornwell  appeared 
near  the  moderator's  chair.  As  leading  member  of  a 
committee  previously  appointed,  he  asked  leave  to  read  a 
paper  which  proposed  to  set  forth  the  reasons  for  the 
separate  organization  of  the  Southern  Assembly.  The 
hush  of  a  deep  solemnity  filled  the  sacred  building  as 
Thornwell  presented  the  "Address  to  all  the  churches 
of  Jesus  Christ  throughout  the  earth." 


326  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

"We  have  separated  from  our  brethren  of  the  North," 
ran  the  address,  "as  Abraham  separated  from  Lot,  be- 
cause we  are  persuaded  that  the  interests  of  true  religion 
will  be  more  effectually  subserved  by  two  independent 
churches."  Reasons  for  this  course  were  assigned  as 
follows : 

1.  Because  the  Presbyterian  Assembly  which  met 
at  Philadelphia,  in  May,  1861,  virtually  transformed 
itself  into  a  political  convention.  "As  a  court  of  Jesus 
Christ,"  the  address  declared,  "the  Philadelphia  Assem- 
bly undertook  to  determine  the  true  interpretation  of 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  as  to  the  kind  of 
goA^ernment  it  intended  to  form.  A  political  theory  was, 
to  all  intents  and  purposes,  propounded,  which  made 
secession  a  crime.  *  *  *  The  assembly,  driven 
from  its  ancient  moorings,  was  tossed  to  and  fro  by  the 
waves  of  popular  passion.  Like  Pilate,  it  obeyed  the 
clamor  of  the  multitude,  and  though  acting  in  the  name  of 
Jesus,  it  kissed  the  scepter  and  bowed  the  knee  to  the 
mandates  of  Northern  phrensy.  The  church  was  con- 
verted into  the  forum,  and  the  assembly  was  hencefor- 
ward to  become  the  arena  of  sectional  divisions  and 
national  animosities." 

"The  provinces  of  church  and  state,"  said  Thornwell, 
"are  perfectly  distinct,  and  one  has  no  right  to  usurp  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  other.  The  state  is  a  natural  insti- 
tute. *  *  *  The  church  is  a  supernatural  institute. 
*  *  *  The  power  of  the  church  is  exclusively  spirit- 
ual ;  that  of  the  state  includes  the  exercise  of  force.  The 
church  has  no  right  to  construct  or  modify  a  govern- 
ment for  the  state,  and  the  state  has  no  right  to  frame  a 
creed  or  polity  for  the  church." 

"It  is  the  consequence  of  these  proceedings,  at  Phila- 
delphia," continued  Thornwell  in  the  address,  "which 
make  them  so  offensive;  it  is  the  door  which  they  open 
for  the  introduction  of  the  worst  passions  of  human 
nature  into  the  deliberations  of  church  courts.     *     *     * 


Principles  of  the  Southern  Presbyterians       327 

For  the  sake  of  peace,  therefore,  for  Christian  charity, 
for  the  honor  of  the  church  and  for  the  glory  of  God 
*  *  *  we  have  quietly  separated ;  and  we  are  grate- 
ful to  God  that  while  leaving  for  the  sake  of  peace,  we 
leave  it  with  the  humble  consciousness  that  we  ourselves 
have  never  given  occasion  to  break  the  peace." 

2.  Because  the  Southern  presbyteries  would  be  able, 
in  a  separate,  independent  organization,  to  give  free  and 
full  development  to  the  spiritual  principles  of  the 
church  of  their  fathers. 

"It  is  precisely,"  continued  the  address,  "because  we 
love  that  church  [of  our  fathers]  as  it  was,  and  that 
church  as  it  should  be,  that  we  have  resolved,  as  far  as 
in  us  lies,  to  realize  its  grand  idea  in  the  country  and 
under  the  government  where  God  has  cast  our  lot." 

With  reference  to  the  black  race,  the  address  con- 
tained the  following: 

"In  our  ecclesiastical  capacity  we  are  neither  the 
friends  nor  the  foes  of  slavery;  that  is  to  say,  we  have 
no  commission  either  to  propagate  or  abolish  it.  The 
policy  of  its  existence  or  non-existence  is  a  question 
which  exclusively  belongs  to  the  state.  We  have  no 
right,  as  a  church,  to  enjoin  it  as  a  duty  or  to  condemn 
it  as  a  sin.  Our  business  is  with  the  duties  which  spring 
from  the  relation ;  the  duties  of  the  masters,  on  the  one 
hand,  and  of  their  slaves  on  the  other.  These  duties 
we  are  to  proclaim  and  to  enforce  with  spiritual  sanc- 
tions. The  social,  civil,  political  problems  connected 
with  this  great  subject  transcend  our  sphere,  as  God 
has  not  entrusted  to  His  church  the  organization  of 
society,  the  construction  of  governments,  nor  the  allot- 
ment of  individuals  to  their  various  stations." 

But,  is  slaveholding  a  sin.''  The  Word  of  God  must 
furnish  the  answer.  Neither  directly  nor  indirectly, 
declares  the  address,  do  the  Scriptures  condemn  slave- 
holding  as  a  sin. 

"Slavery  is  no  new  thing.     It  has  not  only  existed 


828  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

for  ages  in  the  world,  but  it  has  existed,  under  every 
dispensation  of  the  covenant  of  grace,  in  the  church  of 
God.  Indeed,  the  first  organization  of  the  church  as  a 
visible  society,  separate  and  distinct  from  the  unbelieving 
world,  was  inaugurated  in  the  famil}'^  of  a  slaveholder. 
Among  the  very  first  persons  to  whom  the  seal  of  cir- 
cumcision was  affixed  were  the  slaves  of  the  father  of  the 
faithful,  some  born  in  his  house  and  others  bought  with 
his  money.  Slavery  again  reappears  under  the  law. 
God  sanctions  it  in  the  first  table  of  the  decalogue,  and 
Moses  treats  it  as  an  institution  to  be  regulated,  not 
abolished;  legitimated  and  not  condemned.  We  come 
down  to  the  age  of  the  New  Testament,  and  we  find  it 
again  in  the  churches  founded  by  the  Apostles  under 
the  plenary  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  These 
facts  are  utterly  amazing  if  slavery  is  the  enormous 
sin  which  its  enemies  represent  it  to  be.  It  will  not  do 
to  say  that  the  Scriptures  have  treated  it  only  in  a 
general,  incidental  way,  without  any  clear  implication 
as  to  its  moral  character.  Moses  surely  made  it  the 
subject  of  express  and  positive  legislation,  and  the 
Apostles  are  equally  explicit  in  inculcating  the  duties 
which  spring  from  both  sides  of  the  relation.  They 
treat  slaves  as  bound  to  obey  and  inculcate  obedience 
as  an  office  of  religion." 

With  reference  to  the  condition  of  the  negroes  in  the 
South,  the  address  declared  that  "we  cannot  but  accept 
it  as  a  gracious  Providence  that  they  have  been  brought 
in  such  numbers  to  our  shores  and  redeemed  from  the 
bondage  of  barbarism  and  sin.  Slavery  to  them  has 
certainly  been  overruled  for  the  greatest  good.  It  has 
been  a  link  in  the  wondrous  chain  of  Providence  through 
which  many  sons  and  daughters  have  been  made  heirs 
of  the  heavenly  inheritance.  The  providential  result  is, 
of  course,  no  justification  if  the  thing  is  intrinsically 
wrong;  but  it  is  certainly  a  matter  of  devout  thanks- 
giving and  no  obscure  intimation  of  the  will  and  pur- 


Principles  of  the  Southern  Presbyterians       329 

pose  of  God,  and  of  the  consequent  duty  of  the  church. 
We  cannot  forbear  to  say,  however,  that  the  general 
operation  of  the  system  is  kindly  and  benevolent ;  it  is  a 
real  and  effective  discipline,  and,  without  it,  we  are  pro- 
foundly persuaded  that  the  African  race  in  the  midst 
of  us  can  never  be  elevated  in  the  scale  of  being." 

The  address  was  brought  to  a  conclusion  with  a  state- 
ment of  the  special  ends  which  the  Southern  presbyteries 
proposed  to  accomplish  as  a  church.  "We  wish  to 
develop  the  idea,"  wrote  Thornwell,  "that  the  congre- 
gation of  believers  as  visibly  organized  is  the  very  so- 
ciety or  corporation  which  is  divinely  called  to  do  the 
work  of  the  Lord.  We  shall,  therefore,  endeavor  to  do 
what  has  never  yet  been  adequately  done — bring  out  the 
energies  of  our  Presbyterian  system  of  government. 
*  *  *  Our  own  scheme  of  government  we  humbly 
believe  to  be  according  to  the  pattern  shown  in  the 
mount,  and,  by  God's  grace,  we  propose  to  put  its 
efficiency  to  the  test." 

On  the  morning  of  the  tenth  day  this  address  was 
read  again  and  laid  upon  the  moderator's  table.  Then, 
one  by  one,  the  members  of  the  assembly  went  forward 
in  silence  and  signed  their  names  to  the  instrument.  Dr. 
Palmer,  who  took  part  in  this  solemn  ceremonial,  writes 
of  it  as  follows :  "We  were  carried  back  to  those  stir- 
ring times  in  Scottish  story,  when  the  Solemn  League 
and  Covenant  was  spread  upon  the  gravestone  in  the 
Greyfriar's  churchyard,  and  Christian  heroes  pricked 
their  veins  that,  with  the  red  blood,  they  might  sign 
their  allegiance  to  the  kingdom  and  crown  of  Jesus 
Christ,  their  Lord  and  Head." 


CHAPTER    XLV. 

A    JOURNEY    AMONG    THE    SOUTHERN    CHURCHES    DURING 
THE  WAR   BETWEEN   THE  NORTH   AND   THE   SOUTH. 

Eight  hundred  ministers  of  the  gospel  and  a  great 
company  of  ruling  elders  and  deacons — these  were  the 
leaders  of  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church  when  it 
was  organized  in  1861.  This  number  of  leaders  was 
increased,  however,  by  the  addition  of  other  ecclesiastical 
bodies  that  sought  union  with  the  Southern  Assembly. 
These  bodies  set  forth  in  brief  outline,  with  date  of 
reception,  were  the  following: 

The  Independent  Presbyterian  Church,  consisting  of 
eleven  congregations  located  in  South  Carolina  and 
North  Carolina  (1863.) 

The  United  Synod  of  the  South,  consisting  of  one 
hundred  and  ninety-nine  congregations  of  New  School 
Presbyterians,  located  in  Virginia,  Tennessee  and  Missis- 
sippi (1864.) 

The  Presbytery  of  Patapsco,  located  in  Maryland 
(1867.) 

The  Alabama  Presbytery  of  the  Associate  Reformed 
Church  (1867.) 

The  Synod  of  Kentucky,  consisting  of  six  presby- 
teries in  Kentucky  (1869.) 

The  Associate  Reformed  Presbytery  of  Kentucky 
(1870.) 

The  Synod  of  Missouri,  consisting  of  six  presbyteries 
in  Missouri  (1874.) 

Since  all  of  these  bodies  of  Christians  were  in  full 
sympathy  with  the  Southern  Presbyterians  long  before 
formal  union  was  effected,  their  members  may  be  esti- 

330 


Presbyterian  Leaders  During  the  War        331 

mated  as  forming  a  part  of  the  larger  body  during  the 
entire  period  of  the  war.  The  whole  body  of  Presby- 
terians in  the  South  was,  therefore,  in  number,  about 
one  hundred  thousand.  They  had  about  fourteen  hun- 
dred churches  and  were  under  the  guidance  and  instruc- 
tion of  more  than  one  thousand  ministers  of  the  gospel. 

It  is  not  possible  in  this  volume  to  tell  the  story  of  the 
lives  of  these  fifty  score  men  of  God.  And  what  shall 
be  said  concerning  the  elders,  the  deacons,  the  godly 
women  of  the  Southern  Church?  Not  even  a  list  of  the 
names  of  all  of  these  worthies  can  be  here  placed  on 
record.  But  their  works  do  follow  them,  and  the  names 
of  many  still  linger  in  memory  among  us  as  a  sweet 
fragrance.  Let  us,  therefore,  suppose  that  a  traveler 
sets  forth  at  the  beginning  of  the  period  of  strife  to 
make  a  journey  throughout  the  region  that  lies  between 
the  Rio  Grande  and  the  Potomac.  Through  his  eyes 
we  may  look  upon  the  work  of  some  of  the  Presbyterian 
preachers  and  elders  of  the  South  in  the  days  when  she 
was  tried  in  the  furnace  of  fire. 

Our  traveler  begins  his  journey  on  horseback  at  the 
western  limit  of  the  State  of  Texas.  At  Brownsville, 
near  the  INIexican  border,  he  hears  the  gospel  message 
from  the  lips  of  Hiram  Chamberlain.  J.  H.  Frost  is 
the  minister  at  Corpus  Christi,  James  Wallis  at  Con- 
crete, and  William  C.  Blair  at  Goliad.  R.  F.  Bunting 
of  the  church  of  San  Antonio  has  been  sent  by  his 
brethren  to  serve  as  chaplain  in  the  Confederate  Army 
of  Tennessee.  More  than  seventy  Presbyterian  churches 
have  been  established  in  Texas  when  our  traveler  sets 
forth,  and  more  than  forty  well-trained  Presbyterians 
are  preaching  the  word  in  that  wide  region.  Among 
these  are  Hugh  Wilson,  the  pioneer  preacher ;  William 
M.  Baker  at  Austin,  Daniel  McNair  at  Galveston,  R. 
W.  Bailey  at  Huntsville,  Levi  Tcnncy  at  Salado,  W.  K. 
Marshall  at  Henderson,  and  J.  H.  Hutchison  at  Hous- 
ton.    Samuel  A.   King  and  S.   F.   Tenney  have  just 


332  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

entered  upon  long  terms  of  worthy  service  in  the  Lone 
Star  State.  Among  the  active  elders  we  find  D.  Mc- 
Gregor, R.  H.  Orr,  James  Sorley,  W.  T.  Hill  and 
Joseph  C.  Wilson. 

From  Texas  the  traveler  seeks  the  northward  route 
and  enters  Arkansas.  He  there  finds  a  devoted  company 
of  about  forty  Presbyterian  ministers.  James  Wilson 
Moore,  founder  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  this 
region,  is  still  in  active  service.  In  like  manner,  Daniel 
L.  Gray  and  A.  R.  Banks  continue  their  good  work. 
The  saintly  Aaron  Williams  and  Cephas  Washburn  pass 
to  their  heavenly  reward  just  as  the  war  begins.  In 
1863  James  Martin,  the  ripe  scholar  and  impressive 
preacher,  dies  from  exposure  and  severe  treatment  re- 
ceived in  a  Federal  prison.  His  son.  Judge  Joseph  W. 
Martin,  is  ready  and  able  as  a  ruling  elder  to  continue 
the  Christian  activity  begun  by  his  honored  father.  As 
worthy,  also,  of  most  honorable  mention  in  the  work 
of  the  eldership  in  Arkansas,  these  names  must  be  placed 
in  this  record :  Roderick  L.  Dodge,  John  F.  Allen  and 
James  A.  Dibrell,  godly  physicians ;  John  R.  Hampton, 
Alexander  W.  Dinsmore,  Samuel  Wright  Williams, 
Isaac  Lawrence,  William  A.  Carrigan  and  John  B. 
Speers.  In  the  First  Church  at  Little  Rock  our  traveler 
finds  Thomas  Rice  Welch  as  pastor.  The  latter,  a  native 
of  Kentucky  and  a  graduate  of  Center  College,  is  just 
entering  upon  a  long  term  of  successful  work  in  the 
capital  city  of  Arkansas.  S.  W.  Davies  is  the  minister 
at  Augusta,  W.  A.  Sample  at  Fort  Smith,  W.  S.  Lacy 
at  Eldorado,  and  S.  Williamson  at  Washington.  Among 
the  Creek  and  Choctaw  Indians,  within  the  bounds  of 
Arkansas  Synod,  a  number  of  faithful  missionaries  con- 
tinue their  labors  during  the  Confederate  war  and  after- 
wards^. Writing  in  1870,  Dr.  J.  Leighton  Wilson 
speaks  thus:  "Hotchkin,  Byington  and  Copeland  have 
followed  each  other  in  successive  years  to  the  better 
Avorld,  leaving  the  venerable  Dr.  Kingsbury,  the  oldest 


Presbyterian  Leaders  During  the  War       333 

of  them  all,  to  toil  on.  The  world  has  seldom  known 
such  men.  Scores  and  hundreds  of  (-hoctaws  will 
ascribe  their  salvation  to  the  instrumentality  of  these 
holy  men." 

The  traveler  and  his  horse  now  take  passage  on  a 
river  steamer  and  make  an  easy  journey  southward  to 
New  Orleans.  There  he  finds,  in  the  pulpits,  Benjamin 
M.  Palmer,  Thomas  R.  Markham,  S.  Woodbridge  and 
Henry  M.  Smith.  A  little  later  he  will  hear  of  William 
Flinn,  Robert  Q.  Mallard  and  A.  F.  Dickson  as  workers 
in  this  great  city.  Some  of  the  elders  of  New  Orleans  we 
shall  meet  in  connection  with  our  study  of  the  work  of  Dr. 
Palmer.  Time  presses,  and  the  traveler  takes  his  rapid 
way  through  Louisiana  and  Mississippi,  paying  visits 
only  to  C.  S.  Hendrick  at  Baton  Rouge,  Joseph  B. 
Stratton,  Benjamin  Chase  and  James  Purviance  at 
Natchez,  S.  R.  Bertron  at  Port  Gibson,  E.  H.  Ruther- 
ford at  Vicksburg,  J.  S.  Montgomery  at  Yazoo  City, 
and  John  Hunter  at  Jackson.  James  A.  Lyon,  pastor 
at  Columbus,  is  known  throughout  the  Mississippi  Val- 
ley; William  T.  Hall  at  Canton,  and  T.  D.  Wither- 
spoon  at  Oxford,  have  just  entered  upon  long  and  hon- 
orable careers  as  pastors,  army  chaplains  and,  at  a  later 
day,  teachers  of  theology.  Active  men  in  the  eldership 
are  the  following:  T.  L.  Dunlap,  Thomas  L.  Carothers, 
R.  S.  Stewart,  James  Patrick,  A.  R.  Hutchison  and 
Israel  Spencer.  More  than  seventy-five  Presbyterian 
ministers  are  engaged  in  the  work  in  Mississippi,  but 
our  traveler  hastens  into  Alabama  to  catch  a  glimpse 
of  the  work  of  the  seventy  preachers  in  that  common- 
wealth. George  H.  W.  Petrie  is  pastor  at  Montgomery, 
and  the  young  George  L.  Petrie  has  entered  upon  work 
at  Union  Springs.  James  K.  Hazen,  afterwards  the 
efficient  manager  of  our  publication  work,  is  shepherd 
at  Prattville ;  James  H.  Nail  is  at  Tuskegee,  A.  B.  Mc- 
Corkle  at  Talladega,  A.  J.  Witherspoon  at  Linden,  G. 
W.  Boggs  at  Camden,  H.  R.  Raymond  at  Marion,  J. 


334  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

R.  Burgett  and  J.  C.  IVIitcliell  at  Mobile,  A.  M.  Small, 
soon  to  be  succeeded  by  W.  J.  Lowry,  at  Selma;  W,  H. 
Mitchell  at  Florence,  and  R.  B.  White  at  Tuscaloosa. 
Besides  these,  John  M.  P.  Otts  is  a  young  licentiate  at 
Greensboro,  John  W.  Pratt  as  teacher  at  Tuskaloosa 
is  preparing  himself  for  later  efficient  work  as  preacher, 
while  C.  A.  Stillman  at  Gainesville  is  in  training  for  the 
later  work  of  founding  our  excellent  school  for  colored 
men  at  Tuskaloosa.  Among  the  elders  of  Alabama  we 
may  note  here  the  names  of  George  J.  S.  Walker,  J.  M. 
McGowan,  N.  S.  Graham,  G.  H.  Dunlap,  E.  A.  Archi- 
bald, James  Montgomery  and  W.  P.  Webb. 

Making  a  circuit  near  the  waters  of  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  the  traveler  hears  clear,  strong  preaching  of 
the  word  by  James  Little  at  Quincy,  Florida ;  by  John 

E.  Du  Bose  (Tallahassee),  Donald  Eraser  (Madison 
and  Monticello),  T.  L.  De  Veaux  (Jacksonville),  and 
Archibald  Baker  (Fernandina).  Some  of  the  elders 
of  marked  activity  in  Florida  are  Judge  W.  A,  Forward, 
J.  C.  McGehee,  J.  M.  W.  Davidson,  Joseph  M.  Hull,  B. 

F.  Whitner  and  Judge  James  Baker.  David  H.  Porter 
shepherds  the  flock  of  the  First  Church,  Savannah, 
Georgia,  and  I.  S.  K.  Axson  is  in  charge  of  Savannah's 
strong  congregation  of  Independents.  Richard  Q.  Way 
looks  after  the  congregation  at  Riceboro,  Georgia; 
Joseph  R.  Wilson  at  Augusta,  J.  B.  Dunwody  at  Wash- 
ington, Nathan  Hoyt  at  Athens,  and  Francis  R.  Gould- 
ing  at  Macon.  John  S.  Wilson  and  R.  K.  Porter  are 
pastors  in  Atlanta.  Wilson,  as  historian  of  the  synod, 
tells  our  traveler  about  the  worthies  who  have  been  called 
away  in  recent  years  from  the  scenes  of  their  labor  in 
Georgia.  Among  these  ministers  of  the  past  were  Rob- 
ert Quarterman  of  Midway,  and  his  son,  Joseph  M. 
Quarterman ;  William  McWhir  and  Alonzo  Church,  who 
in  1859  completed  a  term  of  thirty  years  as  president  of 
the  University  of  Georgia  at  Athens ;  Samuel  J.  Cassels, 
Donald  J.  Auld,  Joseph  Y.  Alexander,  Peter  Winn  and 


Presbyterian  Leaders  During  the  War        335 

Edwin  T.  Williams.  Ripe  scholars  were  most  of  these, 
and  all  were  consecrated  Christian  ministers  who  bore 
faithful  witness.  Special  mention  must  here  be  made 
of  the  work  of  Samuel  K.  Talmage,  a  native  of  New 
Jersey,  who  from  1841  until  1865  was  president  of 
Oglethorpe  University.  This  school  was  under  the  con- 
trol of  the  synods  of  Georgia,  South  Carolina  and  Ala- 
bama. The  first  president  was  Rev.  Carlisle  P.  Beman 
(1836-1841).  Through  a  period  of  more  than  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century  the  institution  was  a  most  efficient 
agency  in  bringing  young  men  into  the  ministry.  The 
war  swept  away  its  endowment  fund  and  its  activities 
were  soon  afterwards  brought  to  an  end.  The  work 
of  this  school  is  a  worthy  memorial  of  its  founders,  the 
members  of  the  Georgia  Educational  Society.  The 
latter  was  organized  in  1823  as  follows : 

Major  Abraham  Walker,  president. 

Rev.  Moses  Waddel,  first  vice-president. 

Rev.  Francis  Cummins,  second  vice-president. 

Rev.  John  Brown,  third  vice-president. 

Rev.  William  McWhir,  fourth  vice-president. 

Rev.  William  T.  Brantly,  fifth  vice-president. 

Rev.  Peter  Gautier,  sixth  vice-president. 

Rev.  Abiel  Carter,  seventh  vice-president. 

Secretaries,  Rev.  Thomas  Goulding  and  Rev.  Moses 
W.  Dobbins. 

Treasurer,  Rev.  James  Nisbet. 

The  names  of  M.  D.  Wood  (Decatur),  James  Stacy 
(Newnan),  N.  A.  Pratt  (Roswell),  E.  P.  Palmer 
(Marietta),  James  A.  Wallace  (Dalton),  H.  F.  Hoyt 
(Albany),  complete  the  list  of  ministers  whom  our  trav- 
eler visits  within  the  State  of  Georgia.  There  are  many 
other  preachers  within  this  region  of  equal  worth  with 
those  named  above,  but  with  the  mention  of  a  few  elders 
among  a  great  multitude,  we  must  allow  the  traveler  to 
hasten  northward  across  the  Savannah  River.  The 
elders  whom  we  shall  name  are:     E.  A.  Nesbit  of  the 


336  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

cliurch  at  Macon,  a  prominent  leader  in  the  Georgia 
Secession  Convention ;  Thomas  R.  R.  Cobb,  elder  and 
Sunday-school  teacher  in  the  church  at  Athens,  who 
gave  his  life  for  the  South  on  the  battlefield  of  Fred- 
ericksburg (1862);  W.  L.  Mitchell,  Samuel  Barnett, 
T.  T.  Windsor,  J.  A.  Ansley  and  J.  C.  Whitner. 

Almost  six  score  is  the  number  of  Presbyterian  min- 
isters in  South  Carolina  during  the  period  of  the  war. 
John  Forrest,  Thomas  Smyth,  John  L.  Girardeau  and 
W.  C.  Dana  are  the  ministers  in  Charleston.  Near  this 
city  our  traveler  finds  W.  States  Lee,  John  Douglas, 
John  R.  Dow  and  Charles  S.  Vedder.  Donald  McQueen 
has  the  oversight  of  the  flock  at  Sumter,  Samuel  H.  Hay 
at  Camden,  James  Douglass  at  Winnsboro,  E.  O.  Frier- 
son  at  Kingstree,  T.  R.  English  at  Mayesville,  R.  H. 
Reid  at  Nazareth  Church,  A.  A.  Morse  at  Anderson, 
John  McLees  at  Greenwood,  M.  D.  Wood  at  Yorkville, 
J.  G.  Richards  at  Liberty  Hill,  John  C.  Williams  at 
Greenville,  and  D.  M.  Turner  at  Upper  Long  Cane. 
William  Banks  keeps  the  records  for  years  as  stated 
clerk  of  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina.  William  Plumer 
Jacobs  and  Gilbert  R.  Brackett  have  already  entered 
upon  those  labors,  which  will  extend  into  much  later 
times. 

Within  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Columbia,  South 
Carolina,  the  traveler  finds  a  special  group  of  church 
leaders,  remarkable  for  learning  and  practical  wisdom. 
These  are  James  H.  Thornwell,  teacher  of  systematic 
theology ;  George  Howe,  Greek  and  Hebrew ;  A.  W.  Le- 
land,  pastoral  theology ;  John  B.  Adger,  church  history 
and  polity,  and  James  Woodrow,  natural  science  in  con- 
nection with  revelation.  But  when  the  trumpet  of  war 
calls  the  sons  of  the  South  to  defend  their  homes  against 
the  invader,  the  ministerial  students  seize  their  muskets 
and  go  to  the  front.  Our  traveler,  therefore,  finds  that 
the  work  of  teaching  has  been  laid  aside  for  a  season. 
Occasionally,  during  the  war,  some  instruction  is  given, 


Presbyterian  Leaders  During  the  War        337 

but  ill  the  later  years  of  the  struggle  sick  and  wounded 
soldiers  find  a  place  of  rest  in  the  seminary.  ]\Ioreover, 
Dr.  Woodrow  changes  some  of  the  seminary  rooms  into 
laboratories,  in  which  he  prepares  medicines  for  the  suf- 
fering Confederates.  Soon  after  the  close  of  the  struggle 
three  other  strong  men  are  made  members  of  the  semi- 
nary faculty,  namely,  William  S.  Plumer,  Joseph  R. 
Wilson  and  John  L.  Girardeau. 

Among  the  army  chaplains  from  South  Carolina  the 
following  names  may  be  placed  in  this  record:  J.  L. 
Girardeau,  A.  A.  James,  J.  G.  Richards,  Samuel  E. 
Axson,  John  N.  Craig,  James  McDowell,  H.  M.  Brantly 
and  R.  E.  Cooper.  Fragrant  in  the  memory  of  the 
people  of  Charleston  from  the  outbreak  of  the  war  and 
afterwards  are  the  names  of  ruling  elders,  William 
Yeadon  and  James  Adger.  Judge  John  A.  Inglis  of  the 
church  at  Cheraw,  member  of  the  South  Carolina  Seces- 
sion Convention ;  Chancellor  Job  Johnston  of  Newberry, 
Col.  F.  W.  McMaster  of  Columbia,  and  Col.  W.  P. 
Finley  of  Aiken,  may  stand  as  representatives  of  those 
South  Carolina  elders  of  this  period  who  play  a  part 
in  public  affairs.  Andrew  Crawford,  Henry  S.  Muller 
and  R.  L.  Bryan  of  the  Columbia  Church,  the  two  first 
named  serving  as  treasurers  of  Columbia  Seminary,  and 
T.  C.  Perrin  of  Abbeville,  president  of  the  seminary 
board  of  trustees,  are  types  of  Presbyterians  consid- 
ered as  judicious  business  administrators. 

And  what  shall  the  traveler  tell  us  of  the  shepherds 
and  bishops  in  North  Carolina,  nearly  seven  score  in 
number?  Some  are  chaplains  in  the  army,  such  as  E. 
H.  Harding,  H.  B.  Pratt,  James  M.  Sprunt,  James  H. 
Colton  and  Drury  Lacy.  Martin  McQueen  preaches 
the  pure  word  at  W^ilmington.  In  and  around  Fayette- 
ville,  the  home  of  the  Highlanders,  we  find  John  M.  Sher- 
wood, Neill  McDonald,  Hector  McLean,  Hector  McNeill 
and  other  Scots.  Charles  Phillips  and  A.  D.  Hepburn 
occupy  chairs  in  the  State  University  at  Chapel  Hill. 


338  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

Joseph  M.  Atkinson  is  the  chief  shepherd  at  Raleigh, 
Jacob  Henry  Smith  at  Greensboro,  H.  G.  Hill  at  Hills- 
boro,  Jethro  Rumple  at  Salisbury,  Arnold  W.  Miller  at 
Charlotte.  Among  the  active  elders  we  learn  of  the  zeal 
and  wisdom  of  William  Bingham,  James  G.  Shepherd, 
Thomas  M.  Holt,  Joseph  H.  Wilson,  E.  Nye  Hutchison, 
Jesse  H.  Lindsay,  F.  M.  Wooten,  W.  M.  Cocke. 

A  rapid  journey  across  the  mountains  brings  our 
traveler  quickly  into  Tennessee.  Knoxville  is  under  the 
care  of  W.  A.  Harrison  and  T.  R.  Bradshaw,  and  Colum- 
bia's shepherd  is  A.  L.  Kline.  J.  Bardwell,  R.  H.  Allen, 
J.  W.  Hoyt  and  R.  F.  Bunting  are  pastors  at  Nashville, 
T.  D.  Wardlaw  at  Clarksville,  William  Eagleton  at 
Murfreesboro,  I.  Morey  at  Franklin,  Thomas  H.  Mc- 
Callie  at  Chattanooga,  J.  O.  Stedman  and  P.  H.  Thomp- 
son at  Memphis,  D.  H.  Cummins  and  S.  B.  O.  Wilson 
at  Covington,  E.  C.  Trimble  at  Jackson,  E.  S.  Campbell 
at  New  Shiloh  Church,  A.  H.  Kerr  at  Delta,  J.  D.  Tad- 
lock  at  Jonesboro,  J.  W.  Bachman  at  Rogersville,  and 
John  H.  Bryson  at  Laurel  Hill  Church.  Three  minis- 
ters of  the  Doak  family  we  find  in  service  in  Tennessee — 
Samuel  W.  Doak  and  J.  W.  K.  Doak  at  Greenville,  and 
Alexander  Doak  at  Knoxville.  Their  contemporary, 
Daniel  G.  Doak,  preaches  at  Oxford,  Mississippi.  We 
find  also  six  representatives  of  the  Frierson  family  en- 
gaged in  ministerial  labors — J.  Simpson  Frierson  and  J. 
Stephenson  Frierson  in  Tennessee,  D.  E.  Frierson  and 
Edward  0.  Frierson  in  South  Carolina,  S.  R.  Frierson 
in  Mississippi,  and  M.  W.  Frierson  among  the  Missis- 
sippi soldiers  in  the  army.  J.  H.  McNeily  and  R.  K. 
Smoot  are  young  ministers  in  Tennessee  during  the  early 
years  of  the  war.  Among  the  elders  we  find  J.  T. 
Swayne,  S.  B.  McAdams,  Joseph  A.  Brooks,  A.  W.  Put- 
nam, G.  S.  Cecil,  Charles  Lynn,  B.  M.  Estes,  E.  B. 
McClanahan,  George  Thompson,  R.  P.  Rhea,  John  P. 
Long,  Samuel  M.  Neel,  R.  F.  Patterson  and  D.  N. 
Kennedy. 


Presbyterian  Leaders  During  the  War       339 

A  ride  up  the  Holston  River  brings  our  traveler  from 
Tennessee  into  Southwestern  Virginia.  The  valleys  of 
this  region  are  filled  with  Presbyterian  flocks,  and  we 
meet  in  succession  among  a  large  compan}'  these  shep- 
herds, still  young  in  years :  Henry  M.  White,  D.  W. 
Shanks,  Thomas  L.  Preston,  George  W.  White,  William 
T.  Richardson  and  E.  D.  Junkin.  The  Greenbrier 
country  is  occupied  by  John  McElhenny,  J.  C.  Barr, 
S.  R.  Houston,  J.  H.  Leps,  M.  H.  Bittinger  and  R.  R. 
Houston.  William  S.  White  is  pastor  at  Lexington, 
W.  E.  Baker  at  Staunton,  D.  C.  Irwin  at  Harrisonburg, 
William  H.  Foote  at  Romne}^  Charles  White  at  Berry- 
ville  (later  at  College  Church,  Hampden-Sidney),  James 
R.  Graham  and  J.  W.  Lupton  at  Winchester,  Edgar 
Woods,  William  Dinwiddie  and  B.  M.  Wailes  in  and 
near  Charlottesville,  J.  B.  Ramsey  and  W.  V.  Wilson 
in  Lynchburg,  Theodorick  Prj'or  and  A.  W.  Miller 
(afterwards  at  Charlotte,  N.  C.)  in  Petersburg,  T.  V. 
Moore,  M.  D.  Hoge  and  C.  H.  Read  in  Richmond, 
George  D.  Armstrong  in  Norfolk,  and  Peyton  Harrison 
in  Baltimore.  In  Southside  Virginia  the  flocks  are 
under  the  oversight  of  Henry  C.  Alexander,  Thomas 
Wharey,  Richard  Mcllwaine,  William  A.  Campbell,  C. 
R.  Vaughan,  John  H.  Bocock,  S.  W.  Watkins,  Alex- 
ander Martin  and  many  other  worthy  bishops.  As 
chaplains  among  the  Confederate  soldiers  many  minis- 
ters have  been  sent  out  by  the  Virginia  churches.  Among 
these  preachers  in  camp  are  Abner  C.  Hopkins,  James 
H.  Leps,  J.  H.  Gilmore,  Samuel  D.  Stuart,  William  S. 
Lacy,  L.  C.  Vass  and  George  H.  Gilmer. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  war  Virginia  holds  within  her 
borders  a  worthy  company  of  Presbyterian  teachers  and 
scholars.  At  the  Union  Seminary  in  Prince  Edward 
County  our  traveler  finds  the  following:  Samuel  B. 
Wilson,  successor  of  George  A.  Baxter,  teacher  of 
theology ;  Robert  L.  Dabney,  teacher  of  theology ;  Ben- 
jamin M.  Smith,  Oriental  languages;  Thomas  E.  Peck, 


340  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

churcli  history  and  polity.  The  traveler  is  told  that  a 
few  years  prior  to  the  war  Samuel  L.  Graham  and 
Francis  L.  Sampson,  members  of  the  seminary  faculty, 
completed  their  earthl}^  labors,  and  that  William  J. 
Hoge  withdrew  from  the  work  of  teaching  to  become 
pastor  of  a  flock  in  the  city  of  New  York. 

The  traveler  is  told  the  story  of  the  eager  zeal  of  the 
bo3^s  at  Hampden-Sidney  College.  At  the  first  call  to 
arms  they  organized  themselves  into  a  military  com- 
pany and  chose  as  their  captain  the  president  of  the 
college,  Dr.  J.  M.  Atkinson,  a  Presbyterian  minister. 
Captain  Atkinson  preached  the  gospel  to  his  young 
soldiers  on  Sunday,  and  during  the  week  drilled  them 
in  the  manual  of  arms.  At  Rich  Mountain,  Virginia, 
in  July,  1861,  the  college  boys  showed  their  bravery  in 
battle.  The  fortune  of  war  was  against  them,  however, 
and  the  entire  company  was  captured.  On  account  of 
youth  they  were  all  paroled  and  allowed  to  return  to 
their  studies. 

The  president  of  Washington  College  in  the  Valley  of 
Virginia  was  at  that  time  a  Presbyterian  minister.  Dr. 
George  Junkin.  As  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  he  did  not 
sympathize  with  the  secession  movement,  and  he,  there- 
fore, returned  to  his  Northern  home  in  1861.  The  stu- 
dents of  Washington  College,  however,  formed  a  com- 
pany and  selected  James  J.  White  of  the  chair  of  Greek 
as  their  captain.  The  latter  was  a  Presbyterian  elder. 
He  led  them  to  Manassas,  Virginia,  and  in  the  first  great 
battle  on  that  field,  July  21,  1861,  this  college  com- 
pany, known  as  the  Liberty  Hall  Volunteers,  stood 
bravely  in  the  place  of  danger  as  a  part  of  Stonewall 
Jackson's  line  of  battle.  Under  the  eye  of  Jackson 
himself,  they  helped  that  day  to  make  an  immortal  name 
for  the  Stonewall  Brigade. 

At  the  University  of  Virginia  our  traveler  finds  the 
great  scholar  and  teacher.  Dr.  William  H.  McGuffey, 
a  Presbyterian  minister  who  preaches  the  word  with 


Presbyterian  Leaders  During  the   War        341 

power.  From  him  the  traveler  learns  of  the  series  of 
lectures  delivered  at  the  university  in  the  years  1850- 
1851  on  the  general  theme  of  the  Evidences  of  Chris- 
tianity by  some  of  the  leaders  in  the  ministry  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  that  day.  The  list  of  lecturers 
is  as  follows : 

William  S.  Plumer,  pastor  in  Baltimore. 

Alexander  T.  McGill,  Alleghany  Seminary,  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

James  W.  Alexander,  pastor  in  New  York  City;  a 
native  of  Virginia. 

Robert  J.  Breckinridge,  pastor  in  Lexington,  Ky. 

Stuart  Robinson,  pastor  in  Frankfort,  Ky. 

Nathan  L.  Rice,  pastor  in  Cincinnati;  a  native  of 
Kentucky. 

Francis  L.  Sampson,  Union  Seminary,  Virginia. 

Benjamin  M.  Smith,  pastor  in  Staunton,  Virginia. 

Lewis  W.  Green,  president  of  Hampden-Sidney  Col- 
lege, Virginia. 

Henry  Ruffner,  former  president  of  V^ashington  Col- 
lege, Virginia. 

A.  B.  Van  Zandt,  pastor  in  Petersburg,  Virginia. 

Thomas  V.  Moore,  pastor  in  Richmond. 

Moses  Drury  Hoge,  pastor  in  Richmond. 

The  names  thus  far  given  as  recorded  in  our  traveler's 
notebook  may  stand  as  representatives  of  the  entire  body 
of  members  in  the  ten  synods  that  organized  the  South- 
ern Assembly  in  1861.  Many  of  these  ministers  and 
elders  were  possessed  of  sound  scholarship.  Virtually  all 
of  them  were  judicious  men,  honorable  in  every  respect, 
and  living  in  the  fear  of  God.  As  highminded  servants 
of  Jehovah,  they  gave  their  undivided  attention  to  their 
tasks  throughout  the  period  of  the  war. 

The  work  of  preaching  the  gospel  among  the  Confed- 
erate soldiers  was  assumed  by  the  Southern  Assembly 
itself  through  the  appointment  of  commissioners  to  the 
main  divisions  of  the  army.     Benjamin  M.  Palmer  was 


342  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

sent  as  commissioner  to  preach  to  the  Army  of  Tennes- 
see ;  at  a  later  time  the  work  in  the  same  field  was  assigned 
to  William  Flinn.  The  commissioners  sent  to  the  Army 
of  Northern  Virginia  were  Beverly  T.  Lacy  and  Theodo- 
rick  Pryor.  John  N.  Waddel  was  commissioner  to  the 
Army  of  Mississippi,  Drury  Lacy  to  the  Army  of  East- 
ern North  Carolina,  John  Douglas  to  the  Army  of  South 
Carolina,  Rufus  K.  Porter  to  the  Army  of  Georgia  and 
Florida,  Henry  M.  Smith  to  the  army  west  of  the 
Mississippi.  These  ministers,  as  directors  of  the  work, 
were  aided  by  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  other  preach- 
ers of  the  gospel.  The  routine  of  their  labors  was  as 
follows :  To  preach  to  the  soldiers  twice  and  sometimes 
thrice  each  Sunday ;  to  hold  prayer-meetings  each  night 
in  the  week;  to  teach  Bible  classes  almost  every  day; 
to  distribute  Bibles,  parts  of  the  Bible,  hymn  books, 
tracts  and  religious  newspapers ;  to  visit  the  sick  and 
talk  daily  to  soldiers  about  the  welfare  of  their  souls. 
In  the  winter-camps,  chapels  were  built  by  the  soldiers 
themselves ;  as  many  as  thirty-seven  of  these  houses  of 
worship  were  erected  within  a  few  months  by  the  men  of 
the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia.  We  are  not  surprised, 
therefore,  to  read  this  report  concerning  such  earnest 
Christian  work  that  "in  many  portions  of  the  army  our 
soldiers  have  received  as  much  religious  instruction  as 
they  ever  enjoyed  in  the  most  favored  part  of  their 
lives."  This  report  is  made,  moreover,  with  reference 
to  men  who  have  grown  up  beneath  the  shadow  of  some 
of  the  strongest  churches  in  our  country.  Special  sea- 
sons of  revival  mark  the  preaching  In  the  army.  During 
the  winter  of  1862-1863  hundreds  of  men  are  led  Into 
Christ's  kingdom.  During  the  following  winter,  1863- 
1864,  the  converts  are  numbered  by  thousands.  The 
Southern  ranks.  In  fact,  are  filled  with  Christian  men  in 
a  proportion  so  large  and  so  unusual,  and  so  many  of 
the  Confederate  officers  are  godly  men,  that  we  may  here 
write  it  down  without  fear  of  contradiction  that  the  Con- 


Presbyterian  Leaders  During  the   War        343 

federate  forces,  to  a  greater  extent  than  has  ever  been 
known  in  so  large  a  body  of  fighting  men,  constitute  a 
great  Christian  army. 

"Whatever  disappointment  may  have  been  experi- 
enced by  us  as  a  people,"  writes  Dr.  J.  Leighton  Wilson 
in  1865,  "in  relation  to  the  establishment  of  our  inde- 
pendence as  a  church,  we  should  ever  be  grateful  to 
Almighty  God  for  the  repeated  and  abundant  out- 
pouring of  his  Holy  Spirit  upon  our  armies  during  the 
progress  of  the  bloody  conflict.  That  our  camps  should 
have  been  made  nurseries  of  piety  is  something  not  only 
new  and  unprecedented  in  warfare,  but  may  be  regarded 
as  an  encouraging  token  of  God's  purpose  to  favor  and 
bless  our  future  Zion." 

Our  traveler,  in  prosecuting  his  journey  far  and 
wide  throughout  every  part  of  the  South,  learns  that 
the  duty  of  teaching  the  colored  people  is  not  neg- 
lected by  the  church  during  the  period  of  the  war. 
Throughout  this  time,  moreover,  the  slaves  as  a  body 
remain  in  a  remarkable  degree  faithful  to  their  masters. 
At  the  close  of  the  struggle  they  are  gradually  led  away 
from  the  guardianship  of  the  Southern  churches.  In 
view  of  this  state  of  afi^airs  the  General  Assembly  of 
1865  sends  out  a  pastoral  letter  to  the  churches,  written 
by  Dr.  William  Brown  of  Richmond,  editor  of  the  Cen- 
tral Presbyterian.  With  reference  to  the  former  system 
of  slavery,  the  letter  declares  that  its  overthrow  has 
been  sudden  and  violent,  "whether  justly  or  unjustly, 
in  wrath  or  in  mercy,  for  weal  or  for  woe,  let  history 
and  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  decide."  The  modern 
theory  that  slaveholding  is  in  itself  a  sin,  sa^'^s  the  letter, 
is  a  fanatical  and  unscriptural  theory.  "We  are  not 
called,  now  that  it  has  been  abolished,  to  bow  the  head  in 
humiliation  before  men,  nor  to  admit  that  the  memory 
of  many  of  our  dear  kindred  is  to  be  covered  with  shame, 
because,  like  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  they  had  bond- 
servants born  in  their  house  or  bought  with  their  money." 


344  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

With  the  present  wretchedness  of  the  emancipated 
negroes,  "with  their  prospects,  to  human  view  dismal 
as  the  grave,  our  church  is  not  chargeable."  She  may 
"hold  up  her  hands  before  heaven  and  earth,"  continues 
Dr.  Brown's  letter,  "washed  of  the  tremendous  responsi- 
bility involved  in  this  change  in  the  condition  of  nearly 
four  million  bond-servants,  a  change  for  which  they  were 
unprepared."  And  yet,  concludes  the  letter  to  the  con- 
gregations of  the  South,  these  former  servants  are  still 
living  near  your  own  doors — "many  of  them  are  your 
fellow-heirs  of  salvation.  We  are  persuaded,  therefore, 
that  you  [the  Southern  Presbyterians]  will  not  turn 
away  from  them  in  this  day  of  their  imagined  mil- 
lennium— we  fear  of  terrible  calamity.  Let  it  be  shown 
to  all  men  that  nothing  shall  withdraw  the  sympathy  of 
your  heart  or  the  labor  of  your  hand  from  a  work  which 
must  of  necessity  ever  rest  chiefly  upon  those  who  dwell 
in  the  land,  not  upon  the  strangers  who  visit  it." 

And  what  shall  be  said  with  reference  to  the  official 
attitude  maintained  by  the  Southern  Presbyterian 
Church  toward  the  government  of  the  Southern  Con- 
federacy.'' In  setting  down  here  the  reply,  let  us  re- 
member that  Southern  Presbyterians,  practically  to  a 
man,  are  heart  and  soul  in  sympathy  with  the  Con- 
federacy. The  members  and  officers  of  the  church, 
almost  all  of  them,  are  in  the  field  of  war,  contending 
valiantly  for  the  cause  of  the  South  against  the  North. 
Some  of  the  Southern  ministers  preach  in  their  pulpits 
about  the  Southern  cause  as  a  righteous  cause.  This 
they  do  upon  their  individual  authority  as  pastors. 
When  ministers  and  elders  assemble  -in  church  courts, 
in  presbyteries,  synods  and  as  a  General  Assembly, 
many  of  the  delegates  leaving  the  military  camps  to  take 
part  for  a  time  in  discussing  the  affairs  of  the  church, 
the  calmness  of  temper  and  the  self-restraint  manifested 
are  truly  remarkable.  Political  measures  are  not  for- 
mulated, nor  even  discussed  in  the  sessions  of  the  General 


Presbyterian  Leaders  During  the  War       345 

Assembly.  The  only  apparent  exceptions  to  this  state- 
ment are  certain  expressions  contained  in  the  "narra- 
tive" adopted  by  each  assembly  during  the  war.  The 
narrative  is  merely  a  survey  of  the  state  of  religion 
within  the  limits  of  the  assembly,  and  there  are,  of  neces- 
sity, references  to  the  Confederacy  as  the  existing  gov- 
ernment. In  the  survey  of  the  field,  written  by  Dr.  A. 
W.  Leland  and  adopted  by  the  assembly  of  1861,  we 
find  the  following:  "Our  first  emotions  are  those  of 
sadness  and  grief  excited  by  the  calamities  and  desola- 
tions caused  by  that  cruel,  fratricidal  war  which  has  been 
forced  upon  us.  But,  while  some  of  our  pastors  are 
required  to  leave  their  homes  and  labor  in  the  tented 
field  and  in  the  hospitals,  and  while  large  numbers  are 
called  to  leave  their  seats  in  our  sanctuaries  and  put  on 
their  armor  in  defense  of  their  country,  it  is  gratifying 
to  learn  that  the  ordinances  of  public  worship  are  gen- 
erally attended  and  Christian  privileges  enjoyed  as 
usual.  *  *  *  In  several  places  within  our  bounds 
there  have  been  blessed  revivals  of  religion,  adding  to 
our  churches  hundreds  of  hopeful  converts  among  the 
colored  people.  Many  of  our  pastors,  evangelists  and 
licentiates  devote  their  ministry  to  servants  as  well  as 
masters." 

When  the  Assembly  of  1862  meets  there  are  armies 
all  around  it.  Some  of  the  ministers  of  the  church  have 
suffered  persecution  at  the  hands  of  Federal  officers. 
For  example.  Dr.  George  D.  Armstrong,  pastor  of  the 
Norfolk  Church,  Virginia,  a  man  of  learning  and  a  man  of 
God,  has  been  thrust  into  prison  and  subjected  to  severe 
personal  indignities  by  General  B.  F.  Butler,  commander 
of  the  Federal  garrison  at  Norfolk.  Some  of  the  min- 
isters have  been  slain.  From  a  burdened  heart,  there- 
fore. Dr.  John  L.  Girardeau  includes  in  the  survey  of 
the  state'  of  religion  adopted  by  the  Assembly  in  1862 
the  following  tribute  of  respect:  "Rev.  Dabney  Carr 
Harrison,  a  member  of  the  presbytery  of  East  Hanover, 


346  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

a  chaplain  and  an  officer,  fell  mortally  wounded  while 
leading  his  men  in  one  of  the  bloodiest  battles  fought  in 
this  war.  His  name  will  be  embalmed  in  the  hearts  of 
his  countrymen  and  will  be  held  in  veneration  by  the 
church  of  which  he  was  an  ornament."  In  connection 
with  this,  in  the  narrative,  we  find  the  following: 

"Deeply  convinced  that  this  struggle  is  not  alone  for 
civil  rights  and  property  and  home,  but  also  for  religion, 
for  the  church,  for  the  gospel  and  for  existence  itself, 
the  churches  in  our  connection  have  freely  contributed 
to  its  prosecution  of  their  substance,  their  prayers,  and 
above  all,  of  their  members  and  the  beloved  youth  of 
their  congregations.  They  have  parted  without  a  mur- 
mur with  those  who  constitute  the  hope  of  the  church, 
and  have  bidden  them  go  forth  to  the  support  of  this 
great  and  sacred  cause  with  their  benedictions." 

The  survey  of  religion  written,  in  May,  1863,  by  that 
devout  and  judicious  man  of  God,  Dr.  Joseph  M.  Atkin- 
son of  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  contains  the  following 
expressions :  "The  blood  of  our  brethren,  our  fathers 
and  our  children,  unjustly  and  untimely  slain,  cries  to 
Heaven.  *  *  *  It  is  to  us  matter  of  devout  grati- 
tude to  Almighty  God  that  He  has  so  often  and  so  sig- 
nally baffled  the  efforts  of  our  enemies  to  effect  our 
subjugation  and  that  He  has  vouchsafed  to  our  arms 
victories  so  repeated  and  so  wonderful."  The  narra- 
tive of  1864,  prepared  by  David  M.  Wills  of  Macon, 
Georgia,  speaks  thus :  The  presbyterial  narratives 
"tell  us  of  the  terrible  persecutions  of  our  people  in 
those  parts  of  the  country  which  have  been  visited  by  the 
invading  foe.  They  speak  in  tones  of  sadness  of  many 
of  our  beautiful  sanctuaries  [about  one  hundred  of  these 
having  been  injured  or  destroyed]  ;  of  the  exile  of  pas- 
tors and  their  flocks  for  conscience's  sake;  of  the  loss 
of  large  numbers  of  our  noblest  young  men  who  have 
been  slain  in  battle;  and  of  the  numerous  households 
which  are  weeping  over  their  martyred  dead." 


Presbyterian  Leaders  During  the  War        347 

These  and  other  like  expressions  of  sympathy  with  the 
Confederate  cause  are  found  in  the  General  Assembly's 
annual  surveys  of  the  religious  state  of  the  country. 
At  no  time  during  the  struggle,  however,  does  the  assem- 
bly declare  that  it  is  the  religious  duty  of  its  members 
to  fight   for  the  Confederacy,  nor  does  the   assembly 
adopt  any  rule  whatsoever  to  require  an  examination 
of  a  man's  political  sentiments  as  a  preliminary  to  his 
admission  as  church  member.     Moreover,  the  Southern 
Assembly  makes  no  unfriendly  reference  whatever  to  the 
Northern  Assembly.     In  this  most  vital  sense  the  South- 
ern Presbyterian  Church  does  not  mingle  political  senti- 
ments with  religious  faith.     When  the  circumstances  are 
considered,  perhaps  no  church  on  earth  has  ever  kept 
herself  so  free  from  alliances  with  political  parties  and 
from  intermeddling  with  governmental  affairs,  as   the 
Southern  Presbyterian  Church.     When  the  end  of  the 
struggle  comes,  Dr.  William  Brown,  in  the  Assembly's 
Narrative  of  1865,  utters  this  final  exhortation  to  the 
Southern  congregations :    "You  have  been  called  to  pass 
through  deep  waters  ;  3'^ou  have  had  sorrow  upon  sorrow. 
It  was  the  path  your  Saviour  trod  and  He  will  grant 
you  in  it  the  comfort  of  His  love  and  the  fellowship  of 
His  Spirit.      Some  of  our  dear  brethren  in  Christ,  and 
some  of  them  in  the  ministry,  have  had  cruel  mockings 
and  scourgings,  have  suffered  stripes  and  imprisonments 
and  the  loss  of  all  things.      Our  prayer  has  been  with 
you  in  your  calamity.     Remember,  that  the  church  of 
God  has  often  passed  through  the  heated  furnace,  but 
the  form  of  the  Son  of  God  has  been  seen  with  her  and 
she  is  still  unconsumed." 


CHAPTER    XLVI. 

A    JOUBNEY   AMONG    THE    CHURCHES    OF    KENTUCKY    AND 
MISSOURI. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  between  North  and  South, 
our  traveler  prepared  himself  for  a  journey  among  the 
churches  of  Kentucky  and  Missouri,  two  border  com- 
monwealths whose  people  were  divided  in  political  senti- 
ment during  the  great  struggle.  As  a  preliminary  to 
his  journey,  the  traveler  refreshed  his  memory  concern- 
ing the  action  of  the  Presbyterian  Assembly  of  the  year 
1845  with  reference  to  the  holding  of  slaves.  This 
action,  be  it  remembered,  set  forth  the  views  held  by 
Presbyterians  at  the  very  time  when  the  Southern 
Methodists  (1844)  and  the  Southern  Baptists  (1846) 
were  withdrawing  themselves  completely  from  associa- 
tion with  their  Northern  brethren  because  the  latter 
were  denouncing  as  a  sin  and  crime  the  practice  of  hold- 
ing slaves.  The  great  Baptist  and  Methodist  bodies 
were  thus  rent  asunder  early  in  the  course  of  the  aboli- 
tionist movement.  The  Presbyterians  of  North  and 
South  remained  together,  at  that  time,  as  one  body,  and 
their  General  Assembly  (1845)  announced  the  follow- 
ing propositions,  written  by  Dr.  Nathan  L.  Rice,  con- 
cerning slavery : 

"The  church  of  Christ  is  a  spiritual  body  whose  juris- 
diction extends  to  the  religious  faith  and  moral  conduct 
of  her  members.  She  cannot  legislate  when  Christ  has 
not  legislated,  nor  make  terms  of  membership  which  He 
has  not  made.  *  *  *  Since  Christ  and  His  in- 
spired Apostles  did  not  make  the  holding  of  slaves  a 
bar  to  communion,  we,  as  a  court  of  Christ,  have  no 

348 


The  Northern  Assembly  During  the  War     349 

authority  to  do  so ;  since  they  did  not  attempt  to  re- 
move it  from  the  church  by  legishition,  we  have  no 
authority  to  legislate  on  the  subject." 

Our  traveler  found  that  the  official  utterance  of  the 
Assembly  of  1845,  thus  quoted  above,  was  in  entire 
harmony  with  the  attitude  toward  slavery  maintained 
b}'  the  Southern  Assembly  throughout  the  period  of  the 
Confederate  war.  The  declaration  made  by  Dr.  Charles 
Hodge  of  Princeton,  in  1860,  rests  upon  the  same  view. 
As  a  further  preparation  for  the  experiences  through 
which  he  was  about  to  pass,  the  traveler  now  read  those 
passages  in  the  minutes  of  the  Northern  Assembly  that 
set  forth  the  attitude  of  that  body  toward  slavery, 
toward  the  war  itself  and  toward  the  Southern  Presby- 
terians. In  these  minutes  he  found  that  the  Northern 
Assembly  placed  itself  in  a  position  of  direct  and  total 
contradiction  to  the  views  expressed  by  the  Assembly 
of  1845.  The  acts  of  the  Northern  Assembly  during 
the  progress  of  the  war,  stated  in  brief  form,  are  as 
follows : 

1.  In  1861,  the  assembly,  in  session  at  Philadelphia, 
adopted  the  Spring  Resolutions,  to  the  effect  that  it  is 
the  solemn  duty  of  all  Presbyterians  to  "strengthen, 
uphold  and  encourage"  the  administration  of  President 
Lincoln  in  the  prosecution  of  the  war  against  the  South. 
Our  traveler  read  also  the  protest  made  by  Dr.  Charles 
Hodge  and  others  that  this  adoption  of  the  Spring 
resolutions  by  the  assembly  was  an  effort  made  to  decide 
a  great  political  issue,  in  direct  violation  of  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

2.  The  Northern  Assembly  of  1862,  through  the 
agency  of  a  paper  prepared  by  Robert  J.  Breckinridge, 
declared  that  the  people  of  the  South  by  reason  of  taking 
part  in  the  war,  placed  themselves  outside  the  pale  of 
"natural  religion  and  morality" — that  they  were  heathen 
and  enemies  of  God.  It  was,  therefore,  the  bounden  duty 
of  all  people  in  the  land  "To  crush  force  by  force."    In 


350  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

addition  to  these  assertions,  the  judgment  of  God  was 
invoked  upon  all  those  officers  and  members  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  who  showed  sympathy  with  the  South, 
since  these  persons,  it  was  claimed  by  the  assembly,  were 
"faithless  to  all  authority,  human  and  divine." 

3.  With  the  knowledge  and  consent  of  the  Northern 
Assembly  of  1863,  the  flag  of  the  Federal  Government 
was  unfurled  over  the  church  building  in  which  the  assem- 
bly was  holding  its  sessions  as  a  sign  to  all  men  that  the 
Northern  Church  was  placing  herself  in  open  active 
allegiance  with  a  political  party  in  the  North. 

4.  The  Northern  Assembly  of  May,  1864  (a)  an- 
nounced that  the  operations  of  Grant's  army  in  the 
Wilderness  formed  the  basis  for  gratitude  to  God  and 
the  assembly,  therefore,  spent  an  entire  afternoon  in 
Thanksgiving  services;  (b)  the  assembl}^  enumerated  six 
Republican  party  measures  as  proposed  by  President 
Lincoln,  and  urged  all  Presbyterians  to  labor  honestly, 
earnestly  and  unweariedly  for  the  success  of  the  presi- 
dent's policy ;  since  this  utterance  of  the  assembly  was 
made  upon  the  eve  of  the  presidential  campaign  be- 
tween Lincoln  and  McClellan,  both  of  whom  announced 
themselves  as  in  favor  of  maintaining  the  Federal  Union, 
the  assembly's  action  was  thus  merely  an  appeal  in  be- 
half of  the  Republican  candidate,  and  during  the  sum- 
mer of  1864  it  was  actually  circulated  as  a  Republican 
campaign  document. 

Through  these  resolutions  the  assembly  set  forth  the 
view  that  the  qualities  essential  to  membership  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church  were  loyalty  to  President  Lincoln's 
administration  and  the  acceptance  of  the  theory  that 
slaveholding  is  a  crime. 

5.  The  Northern  Assembly  of  1865  again  made  the 
fundamental  law  of  the  church  to  consist  in  these  same 
dogmas ;  namely,  loyalty  to  the  Federal  administration, 
and  denunciation  of  slavery  as  a  crime: 

(a)  The  assembly  censured  the  Synod  of  Kentucky 


The  Northern  Assembly  During  the   War     351 

for  protesting  against  the  utterances  -of  the  Assembly 
of  1864,  and  also  for  the  synod's  failure  to  adopt 
political  resolutions  in  support  of  the  war  against  the 
South. 

(b)  The  assembly  denounced  the  formation  of  the 
Southern  Confederacy  as  a  "great  crime,"  and  the  for- 
mation of  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church  as  "the 
schism." 

(c)  The  assembly,  assuming  that  there  were  few  real 
Christians  in  the  South,  directed  its  Board  of  Domestic 
Missions  to  build  up  Presbyterian  congregations  in  the 
South  by  recognizing  as  members  only  those  who  ac- 
cepted the  Northern  dogmas  about  loyalty  and  slavery. 

(d)  The  assembly  ordered  all  of  the  Northern  pres- 
byteries to  refuse  to  receive  as  a  member  any  Southern 
preacher  unless  the  latter  should  swear  loyalty  to  the 
Federal  administration  and  declare  that  he  believed 
slaveholding  to  be  a  crime. 

(e)  The  assembly  ordered  church  sessions  to  refuse 
membership  in  the  church  to  any  former  Confederate 
soldier  or  to  any  person  from  the  South  who  denied  that 
slaveholding  is  a  crime,  unless  such  applicants  repented 
of  their  errors  and  adopted  the  Northern  Assembly's 
views  about  the  Confederacy  and  about  slavery. 

Against  the  acts  of  this  assembly  and  of  previous 
assemblies  a  protest  was  formulated.  In  the  summer 
of  1865,  Dr.  Samuel  R.  Wilson  of  Kentucky,  a  man  born 
and  bred  in  the  North  and  who  was  never  at  any  time 
in  sympathy  with  the  Southern  Confederacy,  wrote  a 
paper  known  as  the  "Declaration  and  Testimony."  This 
paper  was  signed  by  a  large  number  of  ministers  and 
elders  in  Kentucky  and  Missouri,  and  thus  became  their 
solemn  protest  against  the  course  followed  by  the  North- 
ern Assembly. 

"We  do  solemnly  testify,"  ran  Dr.  Wilson's  paper, 

"(1)  Against  the  assumption  on  the  part  of  the  courts 

of  the  church  of  the  right  to  decide  questions  of  state 


352  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

policy.  This  right  has  been  assumed  by  all  the  courts 
of  the  church."  In  proof  of  the  assembly's  share  in 
such  a  policy,  citation  was  made  of  the  acts  of  the  five 
assemblies  from  1861  to  1865. 

"(2)  We  testify  against  the  doctrine  that  the  church, 
as  such,  owes  allegiance  to  human  rulers  or  governments. 
Allegiance  or  loyalty,  in  respect  to  human  governments, 
is  alone  predicable  of  persons  as  citizens.  The  church 
owes  her  allegiance  alone  to  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  sole 
King  in  Zion     *     *     *" 

(3)  The  third  part  of  the  testimony  is  against  "the 
perversion  of  the  teachings  of  Christ  and  His  Apostles" 
in  such  manner  as  to  claim  that  Christians,  as  citizens, 
must  uphold  "a  particular  form  of  government,  or  a 
present  administration  of  that  government." 

"(4)  We  testify  against  the  action  of  the  assembly 
on  the  subject  of  slavery  and  emancipation  in  1864,  and 
as  confirmed  in  1865.  In  that  action  the  assembly 
*  *  *  does  not  quote  fairly  from  former  utterances 
upon  the  same  subject.  It  omits  altogether  all  refer- 
ence to  the  uniform  and  most  important  declaration  con- 
tained in  its  previous  expressions  of  opinion,  that  im- 
mediate, indiscriminate  emancipation  of  the  negro  slaves 
amongst  us  would  be  unjust  and  injurious  to  both  master 
and  slave.  And  then  it  leaves  entirely  unnoticed  the 
act  of  1845  and  treats  it  as  a  nullity  *  *  *  and 
then,  upon  this  basis  of  suppression  and  perversion, 
there  is  laid  down  a  new  doctrine  upon  this  subject  of 
slavery  unknown  to  the  apostolic  and  primitive  church ; 
a  doctrine  which  has  its  origin  in  infidelity  and  fanati- 
cism; a  doctrine  which  the  Presbyterian  Church  had 
before  uniformly  treated  as  a  dangerous  error,  and 
which  the  General  Assembly  of  1845  declared  they  could 
not  sanction  'without  contradicting  some  of  the  plainest 
declarations  of  the  Word  of  God.'     *     *     *" 

"We  testify  (5)  against  the  unjust"  declaration  of 
the  assembly  that  the  Southern  people  made  no  effort 


The  Churches  of  Kentucky  and  Missouri       353 

to  Cluistianizo  the  negroes;  (6)  against  the  doctrine, 
countenanced  by  the  assembly,  that  the  acts  of  church 
courts  may  be  shaped  in  accordance  with  tlic  ordinances 
of  legislatures  and  the  orders  of  military  officers;  (7) 
that  the  will  of  God  and  the  teachings  of  the  Scriptures 
are  to  be  interpreted  from  particular  providential  events, 
such  as  the  emancipation  proclamation  and  the  enlist- 
ment of  slaves  in  the  Northern  armies;  (8)  against  the 
sanction  given  by  the  assembly  to  the  Federal  arm^'^'s 
usurpation  of  authority  over  the  affairs  of  the  church ; 
(9)  against  the  alliance  formed  by  the  church  with  the 
state,  whereby  "political  dogmas"  are  made  tests  of 
membership  in  the  church;  (10)  against  the  acts  of  the 
Assembly  of  1865,  which  "virtually  excommunicated  the 
whole  Southern  Presbyterian  Church  and  in  effect  or- 
dained that  they  should  be  treated  as  heathen  and  out- 
casts;"  (11)  against  the  widespread  perversion  of  the 
commission  of  the  ministry  in  such  manner  that  political 
topics  are  "ordinary  and  favorite  themes  of  the  pulpit," 
that  ministers  have  become  "the  fiercest  of  political 
partisans,"  and  that  church  courts  spend  their  time  in 
passing  resolutions  "to  strengthen  the  government;^' 
(12)  against  the  ordinance  of  the  assembly  of  1865  in 
demanding  that  Southern  members  and  ministers  shall 
repudiate  opinions  about  slavery  and  state  rights,  while 
members  and  ministers  living  in  the  North  are  allowed 
to  hold  unquestioned  those  same  opinions;  (13)  against 
"all  and  every  movement  in  the  church,  however  cau- 
tiously or  plausibly  veiled,  which  looks  to  a  union  of 
the  state  with  the  church." 

All  of  these  parts  of  the  protest  were  drawn  out  at 
length  and  supported  by  references  to  the  acts  of  the 
Northern  assemblies  during  the  period  1861-1865.  In 
conclusion,  the  paper  declared  that  the  Northern  Assem- 
bly had  become  "the  prime  leader  in  promoting  a  great 
and  distinctive  schism"  in  the  church,  and  that  the 
signers    of   this    Declaration    and    Testimony    refused 


tJ54  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

most  positively  to  obey  every  order  concerning  political 
affairs  issued  by  the  assemblies  of  1864  and  1865.  On 
September  2,  1865,  the  Declaration  and  Testimony  was 
adopted  by  the  Presb3'tery  of  Louisville,  Kentucky. 
Soon  afterwards  the  Synod  of  Kentucky  met,  and  in  that 
body  the  proposition  was  made  that  the  members  of  the 
Louisville  Presbytery,  and  other  ministers  and  elders 
who  had  signed  the  Declaration  and  Testimony,  should 
not  be  allowed  to  sit  as  members  of  the  synod.  This 
was  upon  the  alleged  basis  that  the  mere  signing  of  the 
protest  was  an  act  of  defiance  offered  to  the  assembly 
and,  therefore,  rendered  the  signers  unfit  to  hold  seats 
in  any  church  court.  The  synod  rejected  the  proposi- 
tion by  the  vote  of  107  to  22. 

In  May,  1866,  our  traveler  made  the  journey  to  St. 
Louis  to  visit  the  Northern  Assembly,  called  to  meet  in 
regular  annual  session  in  that  city.  He  there  heard  the 
story  of  the  efforts  made  by  Federal  commanders  during 
the  war  to  assume  control  over  ministers,  and  church 
officers,  and  church  courts  in  the  State  of  Missouri. 
For  example,  in  March,  1862,  Samuel  S.  Laws,  a  Pres- 
byterian minister  and  former  president  of  Westminster 
College  at  Fulton,  Missouri,  was  required  by  a  Federal 
officer  to  take  an  oath  binding  himself  to  render  active 
help  in  prosecuting  the  war  against  the  South.  At  the 
same  time  a  bond  was  demanded  of  him  as  security  that 
he  would  keep  the  oath.  Upon  his  refusal.  Dr.  Laws 
was  cast  into  the  Gratiot  Street  Prison  in  St.  Louis. 
No  charges  were  ever  preferred  against  him.  After 
months  of  confinement  he  was  released  upon  parole  on 
condition  that  he  would  live  in  the  Northern  States  or 
go  to  Europe. 

On  March  8,  1864,  General  Rosecrans,  Federal  com- 
mander of  the  Military  Department  of  Missouri,  issued 
Order  No.  62,  that  no  person  be  allowed  to  sit  as  a 
member  of  a  church  court  unless  he  took  a  solemn  oath 
pledging  himself  to  oppose  and  denounce  the  Southern 


The  Churches  of  Kentucky  and  Missouri       355 

Confederacy.  In  INIay,  1864,  Samuel  B.  McPheeters, 
pastor  of  the  Pine  Street  Presbyterian  Church,  St. 
I^ouis,  stood  up  in  his  place  as  a  member  of  the  Northern 
Assembly  and  protested  against  the  making  of  political 
deliverances  by  the  assembly.  Upon  his  return  to  St. 
liOuis  Dr.  McPheeters  was  ordered  by  the  provost-mar- 
shal, a  military  official,  not  to  preach  at  all  within  the 
state  of  Missouri,  and  to  remove  himself  with  his  family 
beyond  the  borders  of  the  commonwealth.  The  provost- 
marshal  not  only  banished  the  pastor  against  the  pro- 
tests of  the  great  body  of  the  members  of  the  Pine  Street 
Church,  but  he  placed  the  church  building  under  the 
absolute  control  of  three  members  who  claimed  that  Dr. 
McPheeters  was  not  making  active  resistance  to  the 
Southern  Confederacy. 

In  October,  1864,  when  the  delegates  to  the  Synod  of 
Missouri  entered  the  place  of  meeting,  a  church  in  St. 
Louis,  they  found  there  a  lieutenant  of  the  Federal  army, 
who  proceeded  to  carry  out  Order  No.  62.  He  stood 
in  the  church  in  his  uniform  and  assumed  authority  over 
the  organization  of  the  synod.  Only  those  delegates 
who  took  the  special  Rosecrans  oath  were  permitted  to 
sit  as  members  of  the  church  court.  Two  delegates, 
Dr.  R.  P.  Farris,  a  minister,  and  Judge  Watson,  an 
elder,  refused  to  recognize  the  soldier's  right  to  organize 
the  court.  For  that  reason  they  were  both  debarred 
from  taking  their  seats  as  members  of  the  synod.  The 
Northern  Assembly  of  1865  sanctioned  these  assump- 
tions of  power  on  the  part  of  military  officials  by  re- 
fusing to  take  any  steps  looking  toward  a  reversal  of 
the  injustice  visited  upon  Judge  Watson,  Dr.  Farris 
and  Dr.  McPheeters.  In  October,  1865,  however,  the 
Synod  of  Missouri  declared  null  and  void  all  of  the  acts 
of  the  Synod  of  1864,  for  the  reason  that  the  latter  was 
"under  military  supervision  and  control,"  and  was, 
therefore,  "not  a  free  court  of  our  church." 

The  Northern  Assembly  of  1866  gave  about  three- 


356  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

fourths  of  the  entire  time  of  its  sessions  to  the  considera- 
tion of  the  issues  that  had  arisen  in  Missouri  and  Ken- 
tucky. Four  delegates,  appointed  as  representatives  by 
the  Presbytery  of  Louisville,  presented  themselves ; 
namely,  Dr.  Samuel  R.  Wilson,  Dr.  Stuart  Robinson, 
and  elders  Charles  A.  Wickliffe  and  Mark  Hardin.  The 
first  act  of  the  assembly,  immediately  after  the  organiza- 
tion of  that  body,  was  to  exclude  these  four  commis- 
sioners from  the  right  to  sit  as  members  of  the  assembly 
until  an  inquiry  should  be  made  concerning  the  conduct 
of  the  Presbytery  of  Louisville.  Then,  after  long  de- 
bate, the  assembly  adopted  an  order,  known  as  the 
"Gurley  ipso  facto  resolution"  from  its  author.  Dr. 
Gurley  of  Washington,  to  the  effect  that  the  Declara- 
tion and  Testimony  was  slanderous  and  schmismatical 
in  character  and  that  its  adoption  was  an  act  of  re- 
bellion. 

Further  discussion  of  the  matter  was  postponed  to  the 
next  assembly  before  whose  bar  were  summoned  all  the 
signers  of  the  protest,  together  with  the  Presbytery  of 
Louisville.  All  of  these  ministers  and  elders  were  mean- 
while suspended  from  the  exercise  of  their  functions  in 
any  church  court  higher  than  a  church  session.  The 
order  provided,  finally,  that  if  any  presbytery  should 
disregard  this  action  of  the  assembly  of  1866,  and  at  any 
meeting  enroll  as  a  member  any  of  the  Declaration  and 
Testimony  men,  then  that  presbytery  would  ipso  facto 
be  dissolved.  Synods  also  were  directed  to  follow  the 
order  issued  by  the  assembly. 

In  October,  1866,  the  synods  of  Kentucky  and  Mis- 
souri both  bade  defiance  to  the  Northern  Assembly  by 
giving  seats  to  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  and  Testi- 
mony. When  the  stated  clerk  of  the  Kentucky  Synod 
refused  to  call  the  names  of  these  signers.  Dr.  Robert 
L.  Breck  proceeded  upon  his  authority  as  moderator  to 
call  the  complete  roll  of  the  members  of  the  synod,  in- 


The  Churches  of  Kentucky  and  Missouri       357 

eluding  the  signers  of  the  protest  and  the  members  of 
Louisville  Presbytery.  Synod  declared  that  the  assem- 
bly in  adopting  the  Gurley  order  had  assumed  an 
authority  over  presbyteries  not  granted  by  the  consti- 
tution of  the  church.  The  Missouri  Synod  by  a  formal 
vote  gave  permission  to  the  Declaration  and  Testimony 
men  to  hold  seats  in  the  synod ;  at  the  same  time  synod 
declared  that  these  signers  "are  not  rebels  against 
ecclesiastical  authority,  but  have  simply  exercised  a 
great  Protestant  right  and  discharged  a  solemn  duty." 
When  the  Northern  Assembly  met  again,  in  May, 
1867,  a  reply  was  made  to  the  two  synods  by  the  adop- 
tion of  a  resolution  decla.ring  that  the  Synod  of  Mis- 
souri and  the  Synod  of  Kentucky,  and  the  twelve  pres- 
byteries in  the  synods,  were  all  dissolved.  Thus,  sum- 
marily, without  trial,  by  an  act  of  the  assembly,  the  two 
Old  School  synods  and  their  presbyteries  were  removed 
from  their  former  place  of  membership  in  the  Northern 
Assembly.  The  Kentucky  Synod  held  a  called  meeting, 
June,  1867,  and  made  reply  that  the  Northern  Assembly 
was  itself  "a  schismatical  and  revolutionary  body,  no 
longer  governed  by  the  constitution."  Steps  were  taken, 
therefore,  to  effect  organic  union  with  the  Southern  Pres- 
byterian Church.  As  the  result  of  an  agreement  with  the 
Southern  Assembly,  commissioners  appointed  by  the  six 
Kentucky  presbyteries  were,  in  1869,  received  as  mem- 
bers of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Southern  Church.  In 
like  manner  commissioners  appointed  by  the  six  Mis- 
souri presbyteries  were  in  1874  admitted  to  seats  in  the 
Southern  Assembly.  The  Southern  Church  was  in  this 
manner  made  stronger  by  the  addition  of  two  entire 
synods  with  their  twelve  presbyteries,  covering  the  states 
of  Kentucky  and  Missouri,  and  embracing  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  two  hundred 
and  fift}^  churches,  five  hundred  ruling  elders  and  fifteen 
thousand  church  members.     Among  these  we  may  here 


358  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

set  down  the  names  of  Stuart  Robinson,  Samuel  B.  Mc- 
Pheeters,  John  S.  Grasty,  H.  M.  Scudder,  R.  K.  Smoot, 
L.  G.  Barbour,  R.  L.  Breck,  J.  V.  Logan,  J.  D.  Mat- 
thews and  others,  ministers  of  the  gospel  in  Kentucky; 
and  the  names  of  A.  P.  Forman,  J.  M.  Travis,  J.  L. 
Yantis,  J.  M.  Chaney,  R.  P.  Farris  and  others,  ministers 
of  the  gospel  in  Missouri. 


BENJAMIN    MORGAN    PALMER 


Facing  page  .vS9 


CHAPTER    XLVII. 


BENJAMIN   MORGAN   PALMER. 


The  birthplace  of  Benjamin  M.  Palmer  was  the  city 
of  Charleston,  South  Carolina.  Through  his  father's 
line  of  descent,  however,  and  also  through  his  mother, 
he  drew  his  life-blood  from  the  heart  of  New  England. 
The  early  home  of  Sarah  Bunce,  Dr.  Palmer's  mother, 
was  near  Hartford,  Connecticut.  The  colony  of 
Plymouth,  Massachusetts,  was  the  place  in  which  the 
emigrant,  William  Palmer,  established  himself.  He 
came  thither  from  England  in  1621.  During  the  rest 
of  his  life  and  throughout  four  generations  after  him, 
the  Palmers  remained  in  ^Massachusetts,  worthy  citizens 
of  the  province.  Samuel  Palmer,  fourth  in  descent  from 
the  emigrant  William,  was  the  successful  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  Church  at  Falmouth  for  a  period  of 
forty-five  years.  Samuel  Palmer's  son.  Job  Palmer, 
left  Massachusetts  and  came  to  Charleston  in  the  year 
1771,  where  he  lived  as  an  honored  citizen  until  his 
death  in  1845.  Job  Palmer's  fourth  son,  Benjamin  M. 
Palmer,  Sr.,  became  a  Congregational  minister  and  was 
for  many  years  pastor  of  the  Circular  Church  in 
Charleston. 

The  seventh  son  of  Job  Palmer,  who  was  given  the 
name  Edward,  was  the  father  of  Dr.  B.  M.  Palmer,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  This  Edward  gave  himself  to 
the  work  of  teaching  until  he  reached  the  age  of  thirty- 
two  years.  Then  the  call  of  the  Lord  moved  him  to 
become  a  minister  of  the  gospel.  This  was  in  the  year 
1820.  At  once  he  made  the  journey  to  Andover, 
Massachusetts,  to  take  up  the  courses  of  study  necessary 

359 


360  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

for  his  equipment  as  a  preacher.  His  wife,  Sarah 
Bunce,  of  sturdy  Connecticut  lineage,  opened  a  boarding- 
school  in  Charleston  and  thus  made  a  support  for  her- 
self and  her  children.  Among  the  latter  was  Benjamin 
M.  Palmer,  a  frail  child  of  two  years.  During  one  year 
of  Edward  Palmer's  sojourn  at  Andover,  his  wife  and 
children  lived  there  with  him.  Then,  in  1824,  he  was 
licensed  as  a  Congregational  minister  and  began  active 
work  as  pastor  of  the  flock  at  Dorchester,  near  Charles- 
ton, South  Carolina. 

For  a  period  of  three  years  (1824-1827)  Edward 
Palmer  remained  in  the  pastorate  at  Dorchester.  Dur- 
ing that  time  the  mother  was  the  principal  teacher  of 
the  child,  Benjamin.  It  was  not  an  easy  task  to  hold 
him  under  control,  but  this  mother  was  possessed  of 
unusual  qualities  of  heart  and  intellect.  She  filled  the 
boy's  mind,  first  of  all,  with  Bible  stories  and  Bible 
teachings.  She  taught  him  also  to  read  Shakespeare, 
Milton  and  Scott.  This  course  of  instruction  was  con- 
tinued during  Edward  Palmer's  pastorate  at  Walter- 
boro  (1827-1832),  near  the  seacoast,  a  few  miles  south 
of  Charleston.  Within  the  same  period  young  Ben- 
jamin was  the  brightest  scholar  in  the  Walterboro 
Academy,  making  rapid  progress  in  the  study  of  Greek 
and  Latin  and  becoming  an  effective  speaker  in  the  local 
debating  society. 

In  the  late  summer  of  1832,  when  Benjamin  M.  Pal- 
mer was  yet  in  his  fifteenth  year,  he  entered  Amherst 
College,  in  Massachusetts.  He  was  short  in  stature 
and  of  slender  frame,  but  the  light  that  flashed  from  his 
eyes  revealed  a  courageous  spirit  within.  "It  was  an 
uncanny  time,"  writes  Dr.  Palmer  himself,  "for  Southern 
men  to  trim  their  sails  for  Northern  seas.  The  nullifica- 
tion storm  had  just  burst  over  the  country  and  was  not 
yet  appeased.  The  abolition  fanaticism  was  rising  to 
the  height  of  its  frenzy.  The  elements  of  conflict  were 
gathering  in  the  theological  world,  which  a  little  later 


Benjamin  31  organ  Palmer  361 

[1837]  resulted  in  the  schism  rending  the  Presbyterian 
Church  asunder.    The  sky  was  full  of  portents." 

Among  the  students  at  Amherst  with  whom  young 
Palmer  had  close  association  was  Henry  Ward  Bcecher. 
They  met  often  in  friendly  rivalry  in  the  college  debating 
society  and  in  playing  the  game  of  chess.  In  both  exer- 
cises Palmer  showed  himself  a  worthy  foeman.  In  the 
work  of  the  classroom,  also,  he  maintained  a  high  stand- 
ing. This  good  progress  toward  a  collegiate  degree 
was  suddenly  interrupted  in  the  spring  of  1834  after 
he  had  spent  somewhat  more  than  a  year  at  Amherst. 
The  literary  society  of  which  he  was  a  member  was  a 
secret  fraternity,  whose  members  were  bound  by  a  pledge 
not  to  reveal  anything  that  took  place  in  their  meetings. 
On  one  occasion,  however,  the  college  faculty  demanded 
that  each  member  of  this  society  should  make  a  state- 
ment with  reference  to  a  certain  incident.  Palmer  at 
once  appeared  as  the  leader  of  a  number  of  high-spirited 
youths  who  declared  that  they  were  in  honor  bound  not 
to  disclose  what  had  taken  place  at  one  of  the  sessions 
of  the  secret  society.  The  faculty  threatened  him  with 
expulsion,  but  Palmer  replied:  "I  will  take  expulsion 
at  your  hands  rather  than  trample  upon  my  sense  of 
honor."  It  is  said  that  the  faculty  would  not  have  pro- 
ceeded to  the  point  of  expelling  him,  but  his  spirit  was 
so  filled  with  resentment  concerning  the  entire  affair 
that  he  determined  to  return  home.  One  mornings  there- 
fore, just  as  the  stage  was  about  to  leave  Amherst, 
young  Palmer  took  his  place  on  top,  waving  farewell  to 
his  friends.  The  entire  body  of  students  was  present 
and  "gave  him  a  great  ovation,  sending  him  off  with 
ringing  cheers."  Stuart  Robinson,  one  of  his  fellow- 
students  at  Amherst,  declares  that  throughout  this  affair 
Benjamin  M.  Palmer  displayed  "the  high  qualities  of 
honor  and  courage  which  marked  his  life." 

Edward  Palmer,  the  father,  was  not  pleased  to  see  his 
son  returning  from  college.     The  high-spirited  youth, 


362  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

however,  was  determined  to  make  his  own  way.  The 
work  of  teaching,  upon  which  he  now  entered,  occupied 
his  attention  for  more  than  two  years.  In  the  summer 
of  1836,  in  response  to  the  persuasions  of  his  cousin, 
Dr.  I.  S.  K.  Axson,  he  gave  his  heart  to  Christ  and  be- 
came a  member  of  Stony  Creek  Church,  in  South  Caro- 
hna,  of  which  his  father  was  then  pastor.  In  January, 
1837,  young  Palmer  entered  the  State  University  at 
Athens,  Georgia,  which  was  at  that  time  under  the  presi- 
dency of  Dr.  Alonzo  Church,  a  Presbyterian  minister. 
He  was  especially  proficient  in  classical  studies  and  mani- 
fested wonderful  fluency  of  speech  in  the  debating  so- 
ciety. In  August,  1838,  he  was  graduated  with  first 
honors. 

Having  now  decided  to  become  a  minister  of  the 
gospel,  Benjamin  M.  Palmer  entered  Columbia  Semi- 
nary in  January,  1839.  Drs.  Howe  and  Leland  were 
then  the  only  teachers  in  that  school.  A  year  later 
(1840)  Dr.  Thornwell  became  pastor  of  the  church  in 
Columbia,  and  from  the  hour  of  the  first  meeting  between 
these  two  gifted  men,  Thornwell  exerted  a  strong  influ- 
ence in  moulding  the  mental  and  spiritual  life  of  Palmer. 
In  October,  1841,  at  the  close  of  his  seminary  course, 
young  Palmer  was  called  to  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  Savannah.  He  took  with  him  from  Columbia, 
as  his  bride,  Mary  Augusta  McConnell.  Together 
these  two  entered  with  joy  into  their  work  as  shepherds 
of  the  flock.  Benjamin  M.  Palmer  immediately  found 
in  the  pulpit  his  own  special  place  of  successful  labor. 
He  was  endowed  with  a  full  measure  of  tact  and  sym- 
pathy, and  whenever  he  went  among  his  people  he  won 
their  love  and  confidence.  His  zeal,  moreover,  kept  him 
constantly  in  motion  from  house  to  house.  Wherever 
sorrow  had  entered  into  a  home,  there  was  this  pastor 
with  words  of  comfort.  But  when  the  morning  of  the 
Lord's  Day  marked  the  assembling  of  the  people  in  the 
sanctuary  for  praise  and  worship,  Palmer  stood  in  the 


Benjamin  Morgan  Palmer  363 

pulpit  as  a  royal  ambassador,  bringing  a  message  from 
the  King  of  kings.  His  splendid  powers  were  working 
at  their  highest  degree  of  efficiency.  The  people  were 
instructed  and  their  emotions  were  stirred.  The  church 
was  built  up  in  membership  and  in  spiritual  power. 

The  work  in  Savannah  made  Palmer  ready  for  a  wider 
field.  In  January,  1843,  therefore,  he  became  pastor 
of  the  church  in  Columbia,  South  Carolina.  The  duty 
of  the  minister,  he  declared  in  his  opening  sermon  there, 
"is  to  study  God's  Book,  to  expound  its  doctrines,  to 
enforce  its  precepts,  to  urge  its  motives,  to  present  its 
promises,  to  recite  its  Avarnings,  to  declare  its  judg- 
ments." This  high  ideal  he  followed  with  zeal  and  suc- 
cess throughout  his  life.  So  steady  was  the  growth  of 
the  Columbia  Church  under  his  instruction  and  leader- 
ship that  in  1853  a  new  house  of  worship,  the  present 
edifice,  was  opened  for  service.  Dr.  Palmer  himself 
preached  the  dedicatory  sermon. 

In  June,  1847,  the  first  issue  of  the  Southern  Presby- 
terian Review  appeared  in  Columbia.  The  editors  of 
this  periodical  were  Drs.  Thornwell,  Howe  and  Palmer. 
Work  was  thus  multiplied  for  the  pastor,  but  his  zeal 
never  wavered.  Three  times  each  Sunday  he  delivered 
elaborate  discourses  to  his  people.  These  sermons  were 
full  of  Biblical  exposition,  knowledge  gathered  from  an 
extended  course  of  reading,  and  keen  insight  into  the 
nature  of  men.  Public  addresses  on  college  platforms 
called  also  for  a  portion  of  his  time.  He  was  ready  for 
every  occasion  that  demanded  his  presence.  His  intel- 
lect was  aglow  with  life  and  power,  and  he  stirred  the 
hearts  of  men  and  convinced  their  understanding  by  the 
work  of  both  pen  and  tongue.  Invitations  to  become  a 
pastor  in  Charleston,  Baltimore,  Cincinnati  and  Phila- 
delphia came  to  him,  but  in  1854  he  was  elected  to  the 
chair  of  Church  History  in  Columbia  Seminary  and 
accepted  the  position,  thus  becoming  the  colleague  of 
his  friend,  Dr.  Thornwell.     Until  the  end  of  the  year 


364  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

1855,  however,  Dr.  Palmer  continued  to  fill  the  pulpit 
of  the  Columbia  Church.  Growing  success  marked  his 
work  as  teacher  in  the  seminary,  but  his  own  conviction 
was  that  his  proper  sphere  of  labor  was  the  pastorate. 
An  earnest  call  came  from  the  congregation  of  the 
First  Church,  New  Orleans,  and  after  a  lengthened  op- 
position on  the  part  of  Dr.  Palmer's  brethren  at  home 
he  was  given  permission  to  accept  it.  "It  is  our  parting 
testimony,"  declared  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina,  "that 
he  has  nobly  filled  every  department  of  duty  and  labor 
in  which  he  has  been  engaged  with  us.  Long  and  af- 
fectionately shall  we  remember  the  energy  and  efficiency 
with  which  he  has  accomplished  his  full  orbed  ministry 
among  ourselves." 

Dr.  Palmer  was  just  thirty-eight  years  of  age  in 
December,  1856,  when  he  began  his  long  term  of  service 
as  pastor  in  New  Orleans.  He  was  of  about  medium 
stature  and  slender  in  frame,  but  the  piercing  eye  and 
the  firm  jaw  indicated  the  man  of  power.  The  congre- 
gation whereof  he  became  shepherd  had  been  first  organ- 
ized in  1823  as  we  have  seen  as  the  result  of  the  preach- 
ing of  Sylvester  Larned.  The  three  early  pastors  of 
the  First  Church  were  Dr.  Joel  Parker,  Dr.  John 
Breckinridge  and  Dr.  William  A.  Scott.  The  roll 
of  members  had  become  large,  and  at  this  time  these 
were  actively  engaged  in  erecting  a  new  house  of  wor- 
ship. In  1857,  therefore,  Dr.  Palmer  and  his  people 
formally  set  apart  unto  God's  service  the  present  hand- 
some structure  on  Lafayette  Square.  The  dedicatory 
sermon  was  the  same  that  he  had  delivered  four  years 
before  in  setting  apart  the  church  in  Columbia,  South 
Carolina. 

When  Dr.  Palmer  thus  entered  New  Orleans  as  a 
spiritual  shepherd,  that  city  had  already  become  the 
business  center  of  the  lower  Mississippi  Valley.  She 
was,  moreover,  one  of  the  great  exporting  ports  of  the 
world.     His  voice,  therefore,  reached  the  ears  of  a  vast 


Benjamin  Morgan  Palmer  365 

multitude  that  was  constantly  moving  through  this  place 
of  traffic.  His  own  flock  grew  in  numbers  and  in  activ- 
ity, and  thus  his  influence  was  spread  abroad  throughout 
the  city.  By  reason,  therefore,  of  his  position  in  a  great 
business  center,  his  matchless  powers  as  a  preacher 
were  used  of  God  in  moulding  the  character  of  a  large 
part  of  the  people  of  the  southwestern  part  of  our 
country.  Throughout  a  long  period  his  church  was 
crowded  every  Sunday  with  as  many  as  two  thousand 
listeners.  These  always  sat  with  the  attention  fixed 
upon  the  speaker,  drinking  in  every  word  that  fell  from 
his  lips,  and  in  many  cases  going  forth  from  the  sanc- 
tuary to  put  into  practice  the  duties  that  this  prince  of 
preachers  had  laid  upon  their  hearts.  When  yellow 
fever  came  to  the  city  in  the  summer  of  1858,  and  nearly 
five  thousand  people  were  swept  away  by  the  pestilence. 
Dr.  Palmer  went  in  and  out  among  those  that  were 
afflicted.  Wherever  he  saw  a  sign  displayed,  showing 
that  the  fever  was  within  the  house,  he  entered,  offered 
prayer,  spoke  a  word  of  good  cheer  to  the  sick  and  then 
continued  on  his  way.  "It  was  thus,"  said  a  Jewish 
rabbi,  "that  Palmer  got  the  heart  as  well  as  the  ear  of 
New  Orleans.  Men  could  not  resist  one  who  gave  him- 
self to  such  ministry  as  this." 

Dr.  Palmer  identified  himself  with  his  people  in  every 
relationship  of  life.  Their  welfare  was  his  chief  con- 
cern. He  strove  to  set  before  them  their  duty  both 
with  respect  to  man  and  with  reference  to  God.  First 
of  all,  however,  he  sought  to  practice  the  precepts  which 
he  preached.  When  pestilence  came  in  the  form  of 
fever,  Dr.  Palmer  held  it  to  be  his  duty  to  enter  every 
home  that  was  threatened  with  death.  His  leadership 
thus  became  a  part  of  their  lives  to  such  extent  that  in 
the  presence  of  any  crisis  it  seemed  natural  to  him  and 
to  them  that  he  should  point  out  the  way.  When, 
therefore,  the  discussion  about  slavery  between  the 
Northern  and  Southern  sections  of  our  country  finally 


266  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

reached  the  stage  of  angry  contention,  the  people  of 
New  Orleans  instinctively  turned  to  Dr.  Palmer  for  help 
and  guidance.  It  was  characteristic  of  this  prince 
among  men  that  he  was  always  ready  to  help  and  to  lead. 
He  was  ready  now  in  the  autumn  of  1860  to  set  forth 
his  views  concerning  the  vital  issue  of  the  hour.  He 
had  made  a  careful  study  of  all  the  facts  and  all  the 
moral  and  legal  principles  involved  in  the  great  sec- 
tional debate  and  he  did  not  fail  to  respond  to  the 
expectation  of  the  people  of  the  Southwest.  On  Thurs- 
day, November  29,  1860,  therefore,  a  great  multitude 
of  people  came  together  in  Dr.  Palmer's  church,  crowd- 
ing it  from  floor  to  gallery,  to  hear  what  counsel  he 
might  be  prepared  to  offer  to  New  Orleans  and  Louisi- 
ana. It  was  Thanksgiving  Day,  and  a  solemn  stillness 
reigned  in  the  vast  auditorium  when  the  speaker  arose 
to  face  the  audience.  His  discourse  was  written  and, 
contrary  to  his  usual  custom,  he  read  it — read  it  calmly 
and  slowly,  without  the  use  of  a  gesture  during  the  hour 
of  its  delivery. 

"At  a  juncture  so  solemn  as  the  present,"  said  Dr. 
Palmer,  "with  the  destiny  of  a  great  people  waiting 
upon  the  decision  of  an  hour,  it  is  not  lawful  to  be  still. 
Whoever  may  have  influence  to  shape  public  opinion,  at 
such  a  time  must  lend  it,  or  prove  faithless  to  a  trust. 
The  question,  too,  which  now  places  us  upon  the  brink 
of  revolution  was  in  its  origin  a  question  of  morals  and 
religion.  It  was  debated  in  ecclesiastical  councils  be- 
fore it  entered  legislative  halls.  It  has  riven  asunder 
the  two  largest  religious  communions  [Methodists  and 
Baptists]  in  the  land,  and  the  right  determination  of 
this  primary  question  will  go  far  toward  fixing  the  atti- 
tude we  must  assume  in  the  coming  struggle.  It  is  my 
purpose,  not  as  your  organ,  but  on  my  sole  responsibil- 
ity, to  state  the  duty  which,  as  I  believe,  patriotism  and 
religion  require  of  us  all."  Having  thus  asserted  his 
right  to  speak  upon  a  subject  that  had  been  for  years 


Benjamin  Morgan  Palmer  367 

a  topic  of  discussion  in  church  courts,  Dr.  Palmer 
proceeded  to  elaborate  his  theme,  which  was  that  the 
promotion  of  the  welfare  of  the  negro  slaves  was  the 
solemn  trust  that  had  been  "providentially  connnitted" 
to  the  people  of  the  South.  This  could  be  done,  he 
claimed,  only  through  the  maintenance,  for  the  present, 
of  the  existing  relationship  of  master  and  servant.  He 
did  not  consider  it  necessary  to  deal  with  the  question 
whether  this  relationship  is  "precisely  the  best,"  nor 
was  he  prepared  to  "affirm  that  it  will  subsist  through 
all  time."  Emancipation  might  come  in  the  future  and 
the  burden  of  training  the  negro  thus  lifted  from  the 
white  race.  A  burden  it  is,  he  asserts,  an  "intricate 
social  problem"  which  none  but  the  white  people  of  the 
South  are  competent  to  solve.  The  latter,  moreover, 
are  the  only  true  friends  of  the  negro.  In  their  present 
state  of  development  the  best  interests  of  the  colored 
man  will  be  most  successfully  maintained  only  through 
the  conservation  of  the  existing  relationship  between  the 
races  in  the  South.  "All  that  we  claim  for  them,  for 
ourselves,"  said  Dr.  Palmer,  "is  liberty  to  work  out  this 
problem,  guided  by  nature  and  God,  without  obtrusive 
interference  from  abroad." 

To  sustain  his  claim  that  the  African  slave  and  his 
proper  training  and  development  constituted  a  solemn 
trust  committed  to  the  South,  Dr.  Palmer  presented  a 
series  of  arguments  to  the  following  effect  : 

That  the  greatest  need  of  the  African  is  the  discipline 
to  which  he  is  subjected  by  his  white  master.  "By  nature 
the  most  affectionate  and  loyal  of  all  races  beneath  the 
sun,"  said  Dr.  Palmer,  "they  are  also  the  most  helpless; 
and  no  calamity  can  befall  them  greater  than  the  loss 
of  that  protection  they  enjoy  under  this  patriarchal 
system."  "My  servant,"  he  continued,  "whether  bom 
in  my  house  or  bought  with  my  money,  stands  to  me  in 
the  relation  of  a  child.  Though  providentially  owing 
me  service,  which,  providentially,  I  am  bound  to  exact, 


368  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

he  is,  nevertheless,  my  brother  and  my.  friend,  and  I  am 
to  him  a  guardian  and  a  father.  He  leans  upon  me  for 
protection,  for  counsel  and  for  blessing;  and  so  long  as 
the  relation  continues,  no  power  but  the  power  of 
Almighty  God  shall  come  between  him  and  me.  Were 
there  no  argument  but  this,  it  binds  upon  us  the  provi- 
dential duty  of  preserving  the  relation  that  we  may  save 
him  from  a  doom  worse  than  death." 

Dr.  Palmer  argued  further  that  if  the  slaves  were  at 
once  set  free,  "the  wisdom  of  the  entire  world,  united  in 
solemn  council,  could  not  solve  the  question  of  their 
disposal."  It  would  be  "refined  cruelty,"  he  said,  to 
attempt  to  transport  them  to  Africa,  for  in  that  land 
they  would  starve ;  nor  would  they  be  able  to  hold  their 
own  in  our  own  American  land  if  they  should  try  to  live 
here  as  free  men  in  the  presence  of  the  Anglo-Saxon. 
From  this  fundamental  viewpoint  that  the  welfare  of 
the  negro  himself  could  be  promoted  only  by  maintain- 
ing the  existing  patriarchal  system.  Dr.  Palmer  pro- 
ceeded further  to  argue  that  the  interests  of  the  white 
people  of  the  South,  both  material  and  religious,  were 
also  vitally  connected  with  the  continuance  for  the 
present  of  the  same  institution.  To  render  the  negro's 
condition  worse  than  that  of  sheep  without  a  shep- 
herd, and  then  to  bring  the  Southern  shepherds  into  a 
state  of  vassalage  under  control  of  the  North,  this  would 
mean  the  utter  ruin  of  the  South.  The  movement  that 
demanded  this  unwise  course  of  immediate  emancipation, 
the  abolitionist  crusade,  was  due,  said  Dr.  Palmer,  to 
ignorance  and  fanaticism,  and  ought  to  be  resisted.  This 
movement  had  already,  he  said,  broken  "the  union  of 
our  forefathers."  The  organization  of  a  new  and 
homogeneous  Confederacy  of  States  in  the  South  was 
the  only  method  open,  he  declared,  for  preserving  the 
principles  that  formed  the  original  basis  of  that  old 
union.  The  formation  of  such  a  Southern  Confederacy 
had  become  the  duty  of  the  hour,  since  only  in  this  way 


Benjamin  Morgan  Palmer  369 

could  the  Southern  people  maintain  the  solemn  trust 
laid  upon  them.  "This  trust,"  he  said,  "we  will  dis- 
charge in  the  face  of  the  worst  possible  peril." 

It  must  be  remembered  that  Dr.  Palmer  held  in  mind 
the  origin  of  the  great  body  of  the  Southern  people  as 
descendants  of  worthy  ancestors ;  that  for  the  most  part 
the  Southerners  were  Bible  readers — men  and  women 
who  feared  God  and  had  a  keen  sense  of  right  and  jus- 
tice ;  that  their  social  and  political  fabric  was  organized 
in  the  best  possible  way  to  promote  the  present  welfare 
of  both  the  negro  and  the  white  man.  The  overthrow  of 
that  existing  fabric  he  regarded  as  a  fearful  calamity, 
not  only  for  the  South,  but  for  the  entire  country. 
Therefore  it  was  clear  to  his  mind  that  religion  and 
patriotism  demanded  resistance  to  the  wild  fanaticism  of 
the  abolitionists  who  were  seeking  to  make  a  wreck  of 
the  best  civilization  on  the  earth — that  of  the  Southern 
States. 

Dr.  Palmer's  address  was  circulated  widely  through- 
out the  country  and  was  accepted  as  giving  expression 
to  the  practically  universal  sentiment  of  the  people  of 
the  South  that  force  must  be  met  with  force.  In  May, 
1861,  Dr.  Palmer  preached  a  special  sermon  to  a  com- 
pany of  Confederate  riflemen  who  were  then  setting  forth 
for  the  battlefield.  He  told  them  that  the  war  forced 
upon  them  by  Northern  aggression  was  for  the  South  a 
war  of  defense.  To  the  Washington  Artillery  organ- 
ized in  New  Orleans  he  declared  that  the  war  was  "for 
your  homes  and  your  firesides — for  your  wives  and 
children — for  the  land  which  the  Lord  has  given  us  as  a 
heritage." 

After  the  adoption  of  the  Spring  resolutions  by  the 
Presbyterian  Assembly  at  Philadelphia  in  May,  1861, 
Dr.  Palmer  bore  a  leading  part  in  withdrawing  the 
Southern  presbyteries  from  their  former  connection 
with  the  Northern  presbyteries.  On  December  4,  1861, 
he  was  present  in  Augusta,  Georgia,  as  a  delegate,  and 


370  Southern  Preshyteruin  Leaders 

there  delivered  the  sermon  that  constituted  the  begin- 
ning of  the  work  of  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Assembly. 
Early  in  the  year  1862  he  left  New  Orleans  for  a  time 
and  joined  the  Confederate  army  under  Albert  Sidney 
Johnston.  We  are  told  that  he  made  a  stirring  address 
to  a  portion  of  the  Confederate  forces  as  they  were  on 
the  point  of  entering  the  battle  of  Shiloh.  Soon  after 
this  battle,  Dr.  Palmer  spoke  to  a  large  assemblage 
of  citizens  in  the  State  House  at  Jackson,  Missis- 
sippi. "It  was  a  most  profound,  philosophical  and  ex- 
haustive exposition  of  the  grounds  of  our  defense  in  the 
great  struggle.  It  was  designed  to  present  the  argu- 
ment upon  which  the  Christian  moralist  and  patriot  may 
rely  and  upon  which  we  may  justify  the  position  as- 
sumed by  the  seceded  states.  As  his  vast  audience  hung 
entranced,  they  knew  not  which  most  to  admire,  the 
charm  of  classic  imagery,  the  rich  and  glowing  eloquence, 
the  grand  and  massive  proportions  of  the  argument, 
which  challenged  conviction  and  defied  criticism,  or  the 
catholic  spirit  of  the  Christian  patriot  who  confides  in 
the  justice  of  his  cause  and  the  justice  of  his  God." 

On  September  17,  1862,  in  Columbia,  South  Carolina, 
Dr.  Palmer  delivered  an  address  in  commemoration  of 
the  life  and  work  of  Dr.  Thornwell.  To  this  revered 
friend,  who  had  recentl}'^  died.  Dr.  Palmer  referred  as 
"Our  Chrysostom,"  he  of  the  "Golden  Mouth,"  who  was 
moreover  "so  brave,  so  generous  and  true  that  admira- 
tion of  his  genius  was  lost  in  affection  for  the  man,  and 
the  breath  of  envy  ncA'er  withered  a  single  leaf  of  all  the 
honors  with  which  a  single  generation  crowned  him." 
On  December  20,  1862,  Dr.  Palmer  also  delivered 
a  sympathetic  address  over  the  body  of  General  Maxcy 
Gregg,  leader  of  a  South  Carolina  brigade,  who  had 
fallen  in  the  hour  of  victory  on  the  battlefield  of 
Fredericksburg,  in  Virginia. 

During  the  winter  of  1862-1863,  Dr.  Palmer  occupied 
the  chair  of  Systematic  Theology  in  Columbia  Seminary, 


Benjamin  Morgan  Palmer  371 

left  vacant  by  the  deatli  of  Dr.  Thornwell.  In  May, 
1863,  Palmer  wrote  in  honor  of  the  memor}^  of  Stonewall 
Jackson  the  tribute  adopted  by  the  Southern  Assembly. 
Then,  under  authority  given  by  the  assembly,  he  went 
as  commissioner  to  the  Army  of  Tennessee  and  for  sev- 
eral months  he  was  in  camp  preaching  the  gospel  to  Con- 
federate soldiers.  To  soothe  with  words  of  hope  and 
comfort  the  last  hours  of  one  of  his  daughters.  Dr. 
Palmer  came  again  to  Columbia  in  the  late  summer. 
Again  during  the  two  succeeding  sessions  he  taught 
theology  in  the  seminary,  and  the  early  days  of  1865 
found  him  in  Columbia  preaching  and  teaching.  When 
Sherman's  army  drew  near,  Dr.  Palmer  marched  away 
with  the  Confederate  soldiers.  A  month  later  he  re- 
turned to  find  the  once  fair  city  in  ashes  and  his  books 
and  household  effects  all  destroyed.  Then  the  work  of 
Dr.  Palmer's  life  was  at  once  revealed  to  him  in  its  full- 
ness. This  was  to  heal  the  sorrow  of  his  people  by  pour- 
ing out  the  balm  of  his  sympath}' ;  by  describing  with 
matchless  power  the  blessings  that  form  the  eternal  in- 
heritance of  God's  children. 

On  Sunday,  July  16,  1865,  Dr.  Palmer  stood  once 
more  in  his  own  pulpit  in  New  Orleans.  He  had  come  at 
the  earliest  possible  moment  to  share  with  his  flock  the 
trials  through  which  they  were  now  to  pass.  He  was 
full  of  hope.  His  voice  rang  out  as  of  old  to  encourage 
the  members  of  his  congregation  to  meet  their  duties 
with  faith  and  courage.  In  1867,  when  the  yellow  fever 
came  again  to  New  Orleans,  Dr.  Palmer  forgot  the  dan- 
ger that  threatened  himself  and  went  everywhere  to 
comfort  those  who  were  dying  of  the  dread  disease.  As 
to  his  own  land,  the  Southj  he  said:  "How  dear  she  is 
to  us  now  that  she  sits  a  desolate  widow  upon  the  ashes 
of  what  was  once  her  home.  All  scarred  and  battered 
as  she  is,  with  the  cruel  furrows  of  war  traced  all  over 
her  broad  bosom,  I  would  not  exchange  her  for  the 
brightest  and  wealthiest  land  upon  which  the  sun  shines. 


372  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

Affliction  makes  her  surprisingly  beautiful,  and  I  cling 
to  her  in  her  tears  as  I  never  did  in  the  days  of  her 
laughter  and  pride."  With  reference  to  the  Confed- 
erate soldiers,  he  declared  that  they  had  "stood  for  truth, 
for  honor  and  for  right,  till  truth  and  right  were 
trampled  together  in  the  dust." 

The  entire  South  seemed  now  to  become.  In  a  measure. 
Dr.  Palmer's  field  of  labor.  Urgent  invitations  called 
him  to  many  different  cities  to  deliver  sermons  and 
addresses.  Men  seemed  to  be  held  fast  under  some 
strange  spell  when  he  spoke.  In  New  York  City,  in 
Dr.  Van  Dyke's  church,  his  message  was  accompanied 
with  such  power  that  an  old  Federal  soldier  who  heard 
him  said,  "The  arch  rebel!  He  preaches  like  an  arch- 
angel!" In  Charleston,  the  congregation  that  listened 
to  him  was  eager  to  hear  more  even  after  he  had  preached 
for  the  space  of  one  hour  and  twenty  minutes. 

On  public  occasions  of  great  moment,  men  instinctively 
turned  to  him  to  give  expression  to  the  sentiments  that 
filled  their  hearts.  Soon  after  the  death  of  General 
Robert  E.  Lee,  in  October,  1870,  a  great  throng  came 
together  in  the  St.  Charles  Theater,  New  Orleans,  and 
there  Dr.  Palmer  delivered  a  striking  eulogium  upon 
the  character  of  the  Confederate  leader.  In  June,  1872, 
he  delivered  a^  Washington  and  Lee  University,  Vir- 
ginia, an  address  upon  the  duty  of  the  Southern  people 
in  the  "present  crisis"  after  the  overthrow  of  the  Con- 
federacy. The  peril  which  he  dreaded,  said  the  speaker, 
was,  that  in  the  struggle  for  wealth,  "the  fine  sense  of 
honor  which  formed  the  beautiful  enamel  of  Southern 
character  may  be  rubbed  away."  "The  patriotism 
which  these  days  demand  must  suffer  as  well  as  act,"  he 
continued.  "Strong  in  the  consciousness  of  rectitude, 
it  must  nerve  itself  to  endure  contradiction  and  scorn. 
If  need  be,  it  must  weep  at  the  burial  of  civil  liberty, 
and  wait  with  the  heroism  of  hope  for  its  certain 
resurrection." 


Benjamin  Morgan  Palmer  373 

On  Thursday  evening,  June  25,  1891,  a  large  body 
of  men  and  women  met  together  in  the  Grand  Opera 
House  in  New  Orleans  to  protest  against  the  continu- 
ance of  the  system  known  as  the  Louisiana  lottery.  Dr. 
Palmer,  the  principal  speaker  of  the  occasion,  was  intro- 
duced to  the  audience  as  "the  first  citizen  of  New 
Orleans."  For  a  long  period  before  this  time  he  had 
been  using  his  pen  in  the  work  of  setting  forth  the 
iniquities  of  the  lottery,  an  institution  that  had  been 
chartered  by  the  negro  legislature  of  1868,  and  thus 
for  more  than  twenty  years  had  been  a  source  of  great 
evil  throughout  the  country.  He  was  ready,  therefore, 
to  lay  bare  the  nature  of  the  scheme.  With  fiery  words 
he  denounced  the  lottery  as  a  menace  to  the  very  life  of 
the  conmionwealth.  "There  is  but  one  issue  before  this 
people,"  he  declared,  "and  I  announce  it  without  hesita- 
tion upon  this  platform :  Either  the  lottery  must  go  or 
Louisiana  is  lost."  As  he  proceeded  to  point  out  the 
crimes  of  the  lottery  system,  the  applause  of  the  audi- 
ence gave  clear  indication  of  the  state  of  public  opinion 
in  New  Orleans  and  in  the  state.  Through  the  per- 
suasions of  Dr.  Palmer  and  other  leaders  the  people  did 
very  speedily  destroy  the  iniquitous  institution. 

On  May  30,  1900,  Dr.  Palmer  made  an  address  to  the 
Confederate  Veterans  on  the  occasion  of  their  annual 
reunion  at  Louisville,  Kentucky.  "Accustomed  through 
sixty  years  to  address  public  assemblies,"  he  began,  "I 
am  nevertheless  subdued  with  awe  in  your  presence 
today ;  for  we  stand  together  under  the  shadow  of  the 
past.  It  is  the  solemn  reverence  one  might  feel  in  the 
gloom  of  Westminster  Abbey,  surrounded  by  England's 
illustrious  dead.  Indeed,  we  are  here  the  living  repre- 
sentatives of  countless  comrades  who  sleep  in  cemeteries 
throughout  the  land  *  *  *  martyrs  who  fell  in 
the  defense  of  country  and  of  truth.      *      •#     * 

"Fellow  citizens,  it  is  simply  folly  to  suppose  that 
such  a  spontaneous  uprising  as  that  of  our  people  in 


3T4f  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

1860  and  1861  could  be  effected  through  the  machina- 
tions of  politicians  alone.  A  movement  so  sudden  and 
so  vast,  instantly  swallowing  up  all  minor  contentions, 
would  only  spring  from  great  faith  deeply  planted  in 
the  human  heart  and  for  which  men  are  willing  to  die." 
Examples  drawn  out  of  the  history  of  the  past  came 
into  Dr.  Palmer's  mind,  and  he  spoke  of  many  of  them — 
spoke  of  peoples  who  had  struggled  to  maintain  the 
right  and  had  been  defeated.  And,  yet,  those  who  had 
boldly  fought  to  uphold  truth  and  honor  and  had  failed 
in  the  struggle  had  not  been  in  later  times  called  crimi- 
nals. The  story  of  the  ancient  Athenians  and  their 
vain  struggle  against  the  invader,  Philip  of  Macedon, 
was  portrayed  by  Dr.  Palmer  as  perhaps  the  most 
striking  parallel  in  connection  with  the  failure  of  the 
Southern  Confederacy.  The  men  of  Athens  fought  for 
home  and  country,  but  the  invader  overthrew  them  in 
battle.  Was  it  worth  while  to  make  the  fight?  Were 
the  men  of  Athens  wise  in  offering  resistance  to  Philip? 
Yes,  replied  Demosthenes,  speaking  in  that  voice  that 
stirred  men  as  if  it  were  a  trumpet  that  called  them. 
They  were  wise.  The  disasters  that  had  come  upon 
Greece,  said  Demosthenes,  in  no  manner  affected  the 
question  of  the  wisdom  and  righteousness  of  the  policy 
of  resistance  against  Philip.  The  men  of  Athens  had 
at  least  performed  their  duty ;  they  had  acted  like  men 
who  placed  a  right  value  upon  the  freedom  inherited 
from  their  fathers.  Their  policy  of  daring  everything 
in  behalf  of  liberty  had  left  behind  it  no  sting  of 
humiliation  to  be  added  to  the  pain  of  defeat.  Quoting 
Demosthenes  to  this  effect.  Dr.  Palmer  placed  by  the 
side  of  the  patriotic  Athenians  the  people  of  his  own  land 
of  the  SoutJi.  The  latter  had  been  overthrown,  it  was 
true,  he  said,  but  only  in  the  attempt  to  do  their  duty. 
With  the  suffering  involved  in  defeat  no  disgrace  could 
be  mingled.  They  ought  to  have  entered  into  the  war 
to  defend  their  liberties,  even  if  they  had  known  in  ad- 


Benjamin  Morgan  Palmer  375 

vance  that  the  struggle  would  end  in  failure.  "We  of 
the  South,"  declared  Dr.  Palmer,  "convinced  of  the 
rightfulness  of  our  cause,  can  accept  defeat  without  the 
blush  of  shame  mantling  the  cheek  of  a  single  Confed- 
erate of  us  all ;  and  while  accepting  the  issue  of  the 
war  as  the  decree  of  destiny  openly  appeal  to  the 
verdict  of  posterity  for  the  final  vindication  of  our 
career." 

With  both  voice  and  pen,  Dr.  Palmer  made  vigorous 
opposition  to  the  reunion  of  the  Northern  and  Southern 
Presbyterian  Churches.  This  issue  was  brought  for- 
ward in  May,  1870,  when  the  Southern  Assembly  met 
in  Louisville,  Kentucky.  Dr.  R.  L.  Dabney  as  modera- 
tor appointed  Dr.  Palmer  chairman  of  the  Committee 
on  Foreign  Correspondence,  and  to  the  latter  was  re- 
ferred the  overture  from  the  Northern  Church  asking 
that  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  closer  relations  be 
considered  by  committees  from  the  two  bodies.  The 
attitude  of  the  Southern  Church  toward  this  proposition 
is  set  forth  in  the  pastoral  letter  sent  out  to  the  various 
congregations  by  the  assembly  in  session  at  Louisville. 
This  letter,  written  by  Dr.  Palmer,  was  to  the  effect  that 
the  Southern  Assembly  in  response  to  the  request  of  the 
Northern  Assembly  had  appointed  a  conference  com- 
mittee. But,  continued  the  pastoral  letter,  "the  over- 
ture from  the  Northern  Assembly  was  based  upon  the 
fatal  assumption  that  mutual  grievances  existed,  in 
reference  to  which  it  became  necessary  to  arbitrate. 
This  presumption  is  precisely  what  we  cannot  truthfully 
concede.  Our  records  may  be  searched  in  vain  for  a 
single  act  of  aggression,  or  a  single  unfriendly  declara- 
tion against  the  Northern  Church.  We  have  assumed 
no  attitude  of  hostility  toward  it.  Li  not  a  single  case  has 
there  been  an  attempt  to  wrest  from  them  their  church 
property.  In  not  a  single  case  has  there  been  hesita- 
tion in  receiving  their  members  into  our  communion 
upon  the  face  of  their  credentials  among  the  hundreds 


376  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

who  have  come  to  make  their  home  with  us  since  the  war. 
In  not  one  instance  has  there  been  exhibited  a  spirit  of 
retaliation  in  regard  to  any  of  those  very  measures  in- 
stituted against  ourselves  by  the  Assembly  of  1865  and 
by  subsequent  assemblies. 

"Whatever  obstructions  may  be  in  the  way  of 
ecclesiastical  fellowship  were  not  created  by  us,  and  we 
could  not  allow  ourselves  to  be  placed  in  the  false  posi- 
tion before  the  world  of  parties  who  had  been  guilty  of 
wrong  to  the  Northern  Church.  Having  placed  nothing 
in  the  way  of  Christian  fraternity,  there  was  nothing 
for  us  to  remove.  Whilst,  therefore,  in  Christian 
courtesy  we  were  willing  to  appoint  a  committee  of 
conference,  it  was  necessary  to  guard  against  all  mis- 
construction and  misrepresentation  by  instructing  our 
commissioners.  *  *  *  Inasmuch  as  we  had  never 
been  aggressors  against  the  peace,  security  and  pros- 
perity of  the  Northern  Church,  Christian  candor  re- 
quired us  as  the  party  approached  to  state  exactly  the 
difficulties  which  did  embarrass  this  question  of  corre- 
spondence." 

The  difficulties  thus  referred  to,  said  Dr.  Palmer, 
were  four  in  number  as  follows : 

(1)  That  in  1861  the  Northern  majority  changed  the 
Presbyterian  Church  into  a  political  organization  and 
that  this  policy  had  since  been  continued.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  Southern  Assembly,  thus  forced  out,  had  been 
organized  upon  the  principle  that  the  church  is  non- 
political. 

(2)  That  the  method  pursued  in  uniting  Old  School 
and  New  School  Presbyterians  of  the  North  (1869) 
had  made  the  Northern  Church  "a  broad  church,  giving 
shelter  to  every  creed." 

(3)  That  the  action  of  the  Northern  Assembly  with 
reference  to  the  Synods  of  Kentucky  and  Missouri  was 
revolutionary,  overthrowing  the  Presbyterian  system  of 
church  government,  since  the  assembly  had  practically 


Benjamin  Morgan  Palmer  377 

obliterated  the  lower  church  courts  and  had  assumed 
for  itself  an  authority  never  before  assigned  to  it. 

(4)  That  the  Northern  Church,  through  formal 
resolutions  of  its  assembly,  had  made  "judicial  accusa- 
tions" extending  even  to  charges  of  heresy  and  blas- 
phemy against  the  Southern  Church  and  that  these  had 
never  been  withdrawn. 

The  views  thus  elaborated  by  Dr.  Palmer  and  adopted 
by  the  Assembly  of  1870  were  put  forward  by  him  as 
long  as  he  lived  as  representing  his  matured  convictions. 
But  was  Dr.  Palmer  broad  and  liberal  in  his  views.? 
According  to  the  testimony  of  some  who  did  not  agree 
with  all  of  the  opinions  that  he  held,  he  was  most  liberal. 
"He  was  a  man  who  had  outspoken  convictions  which 
he  never  concealed,  knowing  neither  policy  nor  advan- 
tage in  warring  against  what  he  considered  wrong.    Yet 
this  outspoken  man  was  revered  and  loved  by  all  sects, 
for  his  heart  was  rich  with  a  love  that  swept  away  every 
barrier;   his    genial   smile   knew  no    sectarian   bounds. 
He   was    across    all    religious    barriers,    the 
minister  of  all  of  us."     These  words  about  Dr.  Palmer 
were  written  by  a  leading  Jewish  rabbi  of  the  city  of 
New   Orleans.     He   won    the    affection    of   the   Jewish 
people,  not  only  by  his  ministrations  among  them  when 
yellow  fever  was  doing  its  deadly  work,  but  by  his  open 
sympathy  at  a   time  when  their   racial   troubles   were 
grievous.     In  1882  a  great  assembly  of  citizens  in  New 
Orleans  gave  voice  to  their  protest  against  the  persecu- 
tion of  Jews  by  the  Russians.     Dr.  Palmer,  one  of  the 
speakers  at  the  public  meeting,  won  the  hearts  of  the 
Jews  by  pouring  out  his  feeling  of  indignation  upon 
their  enemies.      "Whenever  persecution  bursts  upon  the 
Jew  "  he  said,  "there  would  I  be  at  his  side,  an  Hebrew 
of  the  Hebrews,  to  suffer  and  to  do." 

In  this  brief  sketch  little  more  than  the  titles  of  some 
of  Dr.  Palmer's  publications  can  be  given.  The  Life 
and  Letters  of  Dr.  Thornwell  kept  him  busy  throughout 


378  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

a  long  period ;  the  volume  appeared  in  1 876.  "In  this 
case  my  heart  held  the  pen,"  said  Dr.  Palmer  with  refer- 
ence to  this  biography.  The  book  itself  reveals  his  own 
masterly  skill  in  drawing  the  portrait  of  the  man  whom 
he  admired  and  loved.  "The  Theology  of  Prayer," 
"The  Threefold  Fellowship,"  "The  Family  in  Its  Civil 
and  Churchly  Aspects,"  "The  Formation  of  Character," 
— these  four  volumes  represent  Dr.  Palmer's  formal 
treatment  of  certain  practical  themes.  It  is  all  work 
well  done.  His  insight  into  the  meaning  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  the  wide  range  of  his  experience,  fitted  him  to 
deal  with  these  subjects  in  the  most  illuminating  way. 
"The  Broken  Home"  is  a  book  whose  story  is  drawn 
out  of  Dr.  Palmer's  own  heart  and  life.  Four  of  his 
daughters,  one  after  another,  were  called  away  from 
the  home  on  earth ;  his  only  son,  also,  was  taken  away 
in  early  childhood ;  their  mother,  the  wife  of  his  bosom, 
followed  them.  During  the  time  when  these  severe 
blows  were  falling  upon  him.  Dr.  Palmer  was  also  called 
to  mourn  the  death  of  his  own  mother.  A  nature  so  full 
of  affection  as  Dr.  Palmer's  was  moved  to  its  uttermost 
depths  by  these  bereavements.  He  sought  to  put  into 
words  his  own  tender  love  for  those  whom  God  had  sum- 
moned by  writing  a  sketch  of  each.  He  told  how  suffer- 
ing was  borne  with  quiet  fortitude  and  how  the  heavenly 
messenger  was  met  in  each  case  with  no  shadow  of  doubt 
resting  upon  the  hope  in  Christ.  iVnd  then  he  told  in  this 
same  book  the  story  of  the  merging  of  his  own  agony  into 
that  enlarged  hope  which  God  bestows  upon  believers 
through  the  agency  of  discipline.  "The  earthly  lights 
are  put  out,"  he  declares,  "that  no  earthly  love  may  come 
in  between  Him  and  us."  Then,  changing  the  figure,  he 
tells  us  that  God  strings  the  harp  to  a  greater  tension 
here,  "that  the  praise  may  hereafter  rise  to  its  higher 
and  sweeter  notes  before  the  throne  when  we  shall  carry 
the  memories  of  earth  to  heaven  and  pour  them  into 


Benjamin  Morgan  Palmer  379 

songs  forever."  With  this  tone  of  lofty  assurance 
maintained  throughout,  "The  Broken  Home"  takes  its 
place  among  the  foremost  books  in  all  that  literature 
whose  purpose  is  to  bring  the  message  of  comfort  unto 
hearts  acquainted  with  grief. 

The  ministry  of  consolation  was  the  work  for  which 
Dr.  Palmer  seemed  to  have  a  special  commission  from 
his  Lord.  In  public  discourses  he  often  led  his  hearers 
into  the  very  heavens  and  then,  with  words  of  matchless 
power,  seemed  to  place  them  in  full  possession  of  the 
glories  of  that  inheritance  which  is  held  in  reserve  for 
God's  people.  In  his  personal  work  as  shepherd  of  his 
own  flock,  he  was  continually  pouring  the  oil  of  rejoicing 
upon  souls  that  had  been  wounded.  And,  then,  through 
the  agency  of  written  messages,  the  personal  letters  that 
were  continually  forged  by  his  pen,  he  communicated 
to  a  multitude  of  friends  some  share  of  his  own  steadfast 
hope.  Dr.  Palmer's  letters  reveal  to  us  the  great  heart 
of  the  man  himself.  Many  of  these  epistles  are  given 
in  the  biography  of  Dr.  Palmer  prepared  by  Dr. 
Thomas  Gary  Johnson.  To  one  friend  Dr.  Pal- 
mer wrote  about  his  own  sorrow  as  "the  discipline  of 
love,  having  its  fruit  in  what  is  to  be;"  then  he  called 
that  sorrow  a  cloud  which  a  gracious  Father  was  filling 
"with  Himself — and  covering  me  in  it  takes  me  into  His 
pavilion ;  in  this  dark  cloud  I  know  better  what  it  is  to 
be  alone  with  Him.  It  is  the  old  experience  of  love 
breaking  through  the  darkness  as  it  did  long  ago  through 
the  terrors  of  Sinai  and  the  more  appalling  gloom  of 
Calvary."  To  another  friend  he  wrote  concerning  the 
last  hours  of  one  of  his  own  daughters  that  the  "thin,  wan 
face  was  radiant  like  that  of  Stephen."  He  wrote  again, 
"It  teaches  me  whole  volumes  of  theology — these  tender, 
timid  girls  treading  upon  the  fears  of  death  and  the 
solemnities  of  the  tomb  as  if  they  were  roses  strewn  upon 
their   bridal   path.     I   never   knew   before   how   strong 


880  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

grace  is,  nor  how  easy  it  is  for  faith  to  walk  upon  the 
sea.  My  dead  children  have  been  my  teachers,  and  I 
bow  with  awe  before  them." 

To  his  own  father,  on  the  latter's  ninetieth  birthday, 
Dr.  Palmer  wrote,  "How  near  you  are  to  immortal 
youth!  And  what  a  clear,  bright  day  has  your  life 
been  on  the  earth,  a  whole  burnt-offering  of  service  and 
of  sacrifice  to  God  and  to  man.  *•  *  *  Death  will 
touch  you  with  its  gentle  sleep  and  its  terrors  be  lost  in 
the  translation  to  the  home  of  the  redeemed."  After 
passing  his  own  seventy-first  birthday  a  serious  in- 
firmity kept  Dr.  Palmer  for  several  weeks  in  severe 
physical  pain.  "I  recognize  the  first  blow  of  the  batter- 
ing-ram which  is  to  demolish  the  earthly  tabernacle. 
So  be  it;  I  shall  soon  be  at  rest,  and  bow  with  my  be- 
loved one  before  the  throne." 

In  spite  of  infirmities,  however,  he  moved  steadily 
onward  to  the  completion  of  his  work.  Throughout  his 
entire  career  in  New  Orleans  calls  were  coming  from 
churches  and  theological  seminaries  and  universities, 
asking  him  to  take  up  elsewhere  the  work  of  preaching 
and  of  teaching;  but  he  remained  to  the  end  with  his 
own  beloved  people  on  the  lower  Mississippi.  To  the 
last  his  voice  continued  to  ring  out  like  a  trumpet,  speak- 
ing his  Master's  message. 

On  May  5,  1902,  he  received  the  injury  from  the 
street  car.  Then  followed  the  days  of  suffering,  borne 
as  became  a  child  of  God  until  the  afternoon  of  Ma}'  25, 
when  he  was  permitted  to  pass  beyond  the  veil  to  bow 
there  before  the  throne  in  company  with  his  beloved. 

"He  is  the  last  of  the  great  philosophic  preachers 
who  justified  the  ways  of  God  to  men,"  writes  Dr.  W. 
McF.  Alexander,  fellow-pastor  with  Dr.  Palmer  in  New 
Orleans.  "He  never  spoke  without  laying  deep  as  a 
foundation  of  his  discourse  some  great  principle  of 
eternal  truth.  He  belonged  to  the  Henry  Clay  and 
Webster  class  of  orators,  that  class  which  seems  to  be 


Benjamin  Morgan  Palmer  381 

passing  away.  There  was  never  but  one  Dr.  Palmer 
and  the  mould  is  broken.     There  will  be  no  other." 

"His  eloquence  was  not  a  mere  outpouring  of  well- 
chosen  words  arranged  in  pleasing  phrases.  It  was  in 
the  flood  of  ideas,  always  expressed  in  the  most  fitting 
words,  moving  the  heart  at  one  moment,  or  convincing 
the  understanding  at  another,  that  his  wonderful  oratory 
excelled."  Thus  wrote  the  editor  of  the  New  Orleans 
Picayune. 

Dr.  Eugene  Daniel,  himself  a  leader  among  Southern 
Presbyterians,  knew  well  the  mind  and  heart  of  Dr. 
Palmer.  Speaking  of  the  latter's  marvelous  power  as 
a  preacher  of  the  gospel.  Dr.  Daniel  says,  "By  nature, 
by  God's  grace,  by  his  own  experience,  he  was  made  with 
a  soul  to  feel  another's  woe.  His  power  of  pathos — 
for  that  is  what  it  was,  power — was  plainly  never  sought 
by  him  nor  cultivated  by  him;  it  was  just  naturally  and 
simply  within  him,  and  the  ease  with  which  he  wielded 
it  was  nothing  less  than  majestic." 


CHAPTER    XLVIII. 


ROBERT    LEWIS    DABNEY. 


Robert  L.  Dabney  was  bom  in  the  year  1820  on 
the  South  Anna  River,  in  Louisa  County,  Virginia. 
His  lines  of  family  descent  were  English,  Huguenot  and 
Scotch.  His  father  was  a  planter  and  a  member  of  the 
county  court,  and  in  the  modest  country  home  the  child, 
Robert,  received  his  first  lessons  in  piety  and  in  industry. 
Soon  after  attaining  the  age  of  seven  years  he  began 
the  study  of  Latin  in  a  school-house  built  of  logs  near 
his  father's  house.  The  teacher  was  his  oldest  brother, 
Charles  William  Dabney.  The  study  of  Greek  was 
begun  in  another  log  building  soon  after  he  entered  the 
twelfth  year  of  his  age.  These  studies  were  continued 
until  the  end  of  the  year  1835;  then  a  few  months  of 
special  training  in  algebra  and  geometry,  under  the  care 
of  Rev.  James  Wharey,  a  Presbyterian  minister,  made 
young  Robert  ready  for  the  sophomore  class  in  Hamp- 
den-Sidney  College.  Three  years  before  this  time  his 
father  died,  leaving  the  son  the  heritage  of  an  honest 
name  and  a  godly  example. 

From  June,  1836,  until  September,  1837,  he  was  pur- 
suing the  course  of  study  at  Hampden-Sidney.  Rapid 
progress  marked  his  career  in  the  college,  but  the  lack  of 
money  held  him  back  from  completing  the  course.  The 
regular  session  ended  there  in  the  month  of  September, 
and  he  carried  home  at  the  close  of  his  collegiate  work 
the  affection  of  his  classmates  and  also  a  deep  religious 
impression.  This  had  come  to  him  in  connection  with 
a  spiritual  revival  that  visited  the  school.  One  Sunday, 
therefore,  in  the  autumn  of  1837,  young  Robert  was 

382 


ROBER']'   LEWIS   DABNEV 


Facinj;  page  382 


Robert  Lewis  Dahney  383 

received  into  Providence  Presbyterian  Church  in  Louisa 
County. 

Young  Dabney  now  went  to  work  on  the  plantation, 
for  his  widowed  mother  needed  help.  Some  negro  slaves 
belonged  to  the  estate  left  by  his  father,  but  these  were 
unable  to  carry  all  the  burdens  connected  with  farming 
operations.  Moreover,  the  old  mill  that  made  flour  and 
meal  for  the  people  of  the  community,  forming  a  part  of 
his  mother's  property,  must  be  rebuilt.  The  tall,  slen- 
der lad,  not  yet  eighteen  years  of  age,  went  into  the  rock 
quarry  and  with  his  own  hands  helped  to  give  shape  to 
the  stones  that  were  needed  for  the  walls  of  the  mill. 
A  few  months  in  the  winter  were  given  to  the  work  of 
teaching  school  near  his  mother's  home.  Then  the  fields 
called  him  again  and  he  set  out  to  follow  the  plow. 
Through  the  long  summer  days  of  1838  and  1839  he 
was  in  the  cornfields  and  wheatfields,  toiling  steadily 
with  his  own  hands.  Another  term  of  school  teaching 
in  the  autumn  of  1839  brought  him  to  the  day  when  he 
left  his  mother's  home  once  more  and  entered  the  Uni- 
versity of  Virginia.  His  course  of  study  in  the  lan- 
guages embraced  French  and  Italian  as  well  as  Latin 
and  Greek.  Three  sessions  of  close  application  brought 
him  to  the  happy  hour  when  he  received  the  university 
degree  of  Master  of  Arts  (1842.) 

From  midsummer  in  the  year  1842  until  the  autumn 
of  1844  young  Dabney  was  engaged  at  home,  managing 
his  mother's  farm,  teaching  school  and  writing  articles 
for  the  Richmond  papers.  So  high  an  estimate  was 
placed  upon  his  capacity  as  a  writer  that  an  editorial 
position  of  considerable  importance  was  offered  him. 
But  in  November,  1844,  he  entered  Union  Seminary  at 
Hampden-Sidney  and  began  his  theological  studies  as  a 
candidate  for  the  ministry.  Systematic  theology  was  at 
that  time  taught  in  the  seminary  by  Dr.  Samuel  B.  Wil- 
son, church  history  by  Dr.  S.  L.  Graham,  and  Oriental 
languages  by  Dr.  Francis  S.  Sampson.    The  latter  was 


884*  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

possessed  of  an  exceedingly  accurate  scholarship  and  he 
made  a  lasting  impression  upon  young  Dabney's  mind. 
Among  the  students  then  at  the  seminary,  with  whom 
Robert  Dabney  was  associated  also  in  his  later  years, 
were  William  T.  Richardson,  Jacob  Henry  Smith  and 
Clement  R.  Vaughan.  Dabney  completed  the  course  of 
study  in  May,  1846.  Then  bearing  with  him  a  preacher's 
license  issued  by  West  Hanover  Presbytery,  he  went 
back  to  Louisa  County  and  began  to  preach  the  gospel 
in  his  old  home  church.  Providence.  Long  continued 
toil  in  study,  with  only  brief  periods  of  recreation,  had 
impaired  his  health,  but  with  strong  determination  he 
kept  up  the  work  of  preaching  and  pastoral  visitation. 
About  one  year  later  he  was  invited  to  become  shepherd 
of  the  flock  at  Tinkling  Spring  Church  in  Augusta 
County,  Virginia.  He  was  pastor  there  from  July, 
1847,  until  August,  1853.  Under  his  leadership  the 
present  house  of  worship  was  built  by  that  congregation. 
In  the  pulpit  he  sought  to  instruct  the  people  by  setting 
forth  in  order  the  teachings  of  the  Word.  He  built  a 
home  near  the  church  and  brought  into  it  as  his  wife 
the  daughter  of  James  Morrison,  pastor  of  New  Provi- 
dence. The  house  was  of  stone  and  the  young  preacher 
helped  to  build  it  with  his  own  hands.  During  a  part  of 
the  period  of  his  pastorate  at  Tinkling  Spring  he  con- 
ducted a  classical  school  near  the  church.  In  August, 
]853,  however,  he  accepted  the  call  of  the  Union  Semi- 
nary trustees  and  returned  to  Hampden-Sidney  to  take 
the  chair  left  vacant  by  the  death  of  Dr.  Graham.  For  a 
period  of  six  years  with  growing  success  he  taught  the 
subjects  of  church  history  and  church  government.  In 
addition  to  this  he  was  active  in  securing  an  endowment 
and  an  increased  number  of  students  for  the  seminary. 
His  pen  was  now  increasingly  busy.  Articles  for  the 
church  papers  and  for  the  secular  papers,  prepared  with 
great  care,  drew  attention  to  him  as  a  man  of  marked 
capacity. 


Robert  Lewis  Dahiiey  S85 

In  1859  Dr.  Dabncy  began  his  long  career  as  teacher 
of  systematic  thcolog3\  Dr.  Wilson,  former  occupant 
of  that  chair,  was  now  so  far  advanced  in  years  that  he 
was  assigned  a  lighter  task.  A  year  later  Thomas  E. 
Peck,  that  prince  among  teachers,  became  a  member  of 
the  seminary  faculty  and  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
department  of  history.  Benjamin  M.  Smith  had  been 
previously  appointed  successor  to  Dr.  Sampson  in  the 
department  of  ancient  languages.  Dr.  Dabney  now 
entered  with  enthusiasm  into  that  field  of  work  for  which 
he  was  most  admirably  fitted.  The  native  vigor  of  his 
intellect  had  been  reinforced  by  the  severe  mental  dis- 
cipline through  which  years  of  study  had  led  him.  His 
scholarship  was  full  and  accurate.  Clearness  in  thought 
enabled  him  to  manifest  an  unrivalled  clearness  of  ex- 
pression. He  was  soon  to  become  one  of  the  most 
efficient  expounders  of  the  Calvinistic  system  of  theology 
that  our  country  has  ever  known. 

In  addition  to  the  work  of  teaching  he  assumed  also 
the  duty  of  regular  preaching.  Nearly  every  Sunday 
in  the  College  Church  at  Hampden-Sidney  he  occupied 
the  pulpit.  Pastoral  labors  also  engaged  him,  and  his 
pen  was  turning  out  strong,  timely  articles  for  the 
church  periodicals.  A  new  house  of  worship  was  built 
at  Hampden-Sidney,  and  he  was  in  personal  superin- 
tendence of  the  work.  In  1860  the  chair  of  church 
history  in  Princeton  Seminary  was  offered  him,  but  he 
saw  his  place  of  duty  in  Virginia.  A  great  variety  of 
tasks  in  connection  with  the  promotion  of  the  seminary's 
interests  were  set  before  him,  and  he  labored  zealously 
to  complete  all  of  them. 

When  the  skies  of  his  country  began  to  grow  dark 
with  war  clouds.  Dr.  Dabney  sought  to  maintain  peace. 
"A  Pacific  Appeal  to  Christians"  was  issued  by  him  in 
January,  1861.  Again  and  again  he  preached  in  favor 
of  preserving  a  state  of  peace.  His  efforts  did  not 
check  the  aggressions  of  the  abolitionists,  and  when 


386  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

President  Lincoln  called  for  volunteers  to  aid  in  an 
invasion  of  the  cotton-growing  states,  Dr.  Dabney,  like 
virtually  all  other  Virginians,  was  at  once  ready  to  op- 
pose the  Federal  administration  with  arms. 

In  the  early  summer  of  1861,  Dr.  Dabney  went  to 
Manassas,  Virginia,  and  began  his  labors  as  chaplain 
of  a  Confederate  regiment,  the  Eighteenth  Virginia. 
His  first  pulpit  in  the  camp  was  a  wooden  box  upon 
which  he  stood  to  speak  to  the  soldiers.  Some  of  these 
were  seated  on  logs,  some  on  camp-stools,  some  upon 
the  ground,  while  others  stood  up  throughout  the  service. 
When  the  minister  stretched  forth  his  hands  in  prayer, 
"instantly  every  head  is  reverently  uncovered,"  wrote 
Dr.  Dabney.  "Then  follows  an  old,  familiar  Psalm. 
There  are  no  strains  of  woman's  sweeter  melody  to 
mingle  with  the  stern  melody  of  the  men,  but  the  wind 
sighing  through  the  pine  trees  around  us  is  the  accom- 
paniment, not  unfitting,  to  the  hundreds  of  manly  voices 
which  roll  the  hymn  to  the  heavens.  Then  follows  the 
sermon,  short  and  informal,  but  swallowed  with  solemn 
and  eager  faces." 

"It  has  been  customary,"  he  wrote  further,  "to  speak 
of  camps  as  schools  of  temptation  and  evil.  And  there  is 
too  much  in  them  to  pain  the  Christian's  heart  and  to 
try  the  graces.  But  our  camps  are  places  of  much 
prayer  and  afford  many  shining  examples  of  Christian 
consistency.  *  *  *  Let  Christians  arise  and  con- 
quer in  this  war  by  the  power  of  prayer." 

Dr.  Dabney  remained  in  camp  with  the  Confederate 
army  during  the  weeks  that  followed  the  first  battle  of 
Manassas.  He  preached  regularly  and  with  gratifying 
effect.  Many  were  persuaded  by  his  sermons  to  become 
Christians.  A  frequent  attendant  at  the  services  con- 
ducted by  him  at  this  time  was  General  Jackson,  already 
known  to  the  army  and  the  country  as  "Stonewall" 
Jackson.  A  friendship  began  here  between  these  two 
men  that  became  more  intimate  a  few  months  later. 


Robert  Lewis  Dahney  387 

A  fever  seized  upon  Dr.  Dabney  in  the  military  camp 
and  he  returned  to  his  home  at  Ilampden-Sidney.  The 
wrestle  with  the  fever  continued  through  the  principal 
part  of  the  winter.  Moreover,  the  death  of  a  beloved 
sister  was  a  most  severe  blow  to  him.  As  often  as  pos- 
sible he  attended  the  class-room  and  taught  the  small 
body  of  students  that  remained  at  the  seminary  during 
this  period.  Mrs.  Jackson  came  to  Hampden-Sidney 
to  become  a  guest  in  Dr.  Dabney's  home,  and  through 
her  agency  a  close  relationship  was  established  between 
the  preacher  and  the  great  soldier.  On  April  8,  1862, 
General  Jackson  wrote  to  Dr.  Dabney,  offering  him  the 
position  of  adjutant,  or  chief  of  his  staff.  "Your  rank 
will  be  that  of  major.  Your  duties  will  require  early 
rising  and  industry,"  wrote  Jackson.  To  this  he  added, 
"Your  duties  would  be  such  that  you  would  not  have  an 
opportunity  of  preaching,  except  on  the  Sabbath." 

Dr.  Dabney  had  doubts  about  his  own  fitness  for  the 
position.  He  rode  to  the  Valley  of  Virginia  to  ask 
Jackson  to  assign  to  him  the  work  of  a  chaplain.  But  the 
Confederate  leader  knew  Dabney's  qualities ;  he  had 
learned  about  his  energj'^,  his  experience  in  managing 
plantations  and  in  directing  the  work  of  laborers  in  the 
fields.  He,  therefore,  made  him  chief  staff-officer  and  at 
once  began  to  cummunicate  all  military  orders  through 
Major  Dabney.  The  latter's  quickness  of  perception 
and  his  retentive  memory  enabled  him  both  to  compre- 
hend in  a  moment  the  meaning  of  the  General's  orders 
and  to  deliver  them  in  the  exact  form  in  which  he  had  re- 
ceived them.  He,  therefore,  played  a  worthy  part  in 
Jackson's  great  Valley  Campaign  of  April,  May  and 
June,  1862.  When  each  Sunday  came,  if  the  army  was 
not  marching  nor  fighting,  the  chief  of  staff  preached  at 
headquarters  to  a  large  assembly  of  soldiers,  eager  to 
hear  the  words  of  comfort  from  the  minister's  lips. 
Thus  Dr.  Dabney  had  a  share  in  the  work  leading  and 
teaching  Stonewall  Jackson's  army  of  Christians. 


388  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

It  was  a  hard  service.  There  were  periods  of  keen 
liunger  from  the  lack  of  food.  There  was  weariness 
from  long  marches,  but  Major  Dabney  was  always  by 
the  side  of  his  great  leader  as  long  as  the  Major's  health 
was  sufficient  for  the  task.  At  the  battle  of  Gaines' 
Mill,  near  Richmond,  in  June,  1862,  although  Major 
Dabney  was  suffering  from  an  attack  of  sickness,  his 
efficiency  as  staff-officer  in  carrying  out  Jackson's 
orders  had  much  to  do  with  winning  the  victory  for  the 
Confederates.  Severe  illness  came  upon  him,  however, 
and  after  July,  1862,  he  was  never  again  able  to  serve 
with  Jackson.  "The  most  efficient  officer"  that  he 
knew,  was  Jackson's  expression  of  praise  for  the  adju- 
tant whom  he  gave  up  with  great  reluctance. 

After  Jackson's  death,  May  10,  1863,  Dr.  Dabney 
was  requested  by  Mrs.  Jackson  to  prepare  a  biography 
of  her  husband.  He  began  at  once  the  work  of  gather- 
ing together  the  literary  material,  and  earlj'^  in  1865 
the  book  was  published.  The  entire  volume  is  a  fine 
example  of  the  author's  clear,  vigorous  style  of  writing, 
and  is  a  worthy  tribute  to  the  great  Christian  hero  with 
whose  life  it  deals.  With  clear  insight  the  biographer 
lays  bare  the  qualities  of  Jackson's  heart  and  mind.  He 
read  the  character  of  the  Confederate  leader  far  better 
than  any  other  man  was  ever  able  to  understand  him, 
and  he  presents  in  bold  outline  every  feature  of  that 
strong,  lofty  character.  It  may  be  questioned  if  any 
other  officer  in  either  army.  Federal  or  Confederate,  had 
so  competent  a  biographer  among  fellow-officers  or  asso- 
ciates as  Stonewall  Jackson  had  in  Dr.  Dabney.  The 
latter  rendered  his  countrymen  a  great  service  in  thus 
setting  forth  their  hero's  life  and  character.  The 
biography  itself  seems  likely  to  become  one  of  the  most 
enduring  parts  of  Dr.  Dabney's  literary  work. 

In  1864  Dr.  Dabney's  strength  was  sufficiently  re- 
stored to  enable  him  to  pay  two  or  three  visits  to  the 
Army  of  Northern  Virginia  as  a  preacher.     The  Con- 


Robert  Lewis  Dabney  389 

federate  veterans  who  were  making  their  last  gallant 
stand  against  invasion  listened  eagerly  to  the  minister's 
exhortations.  In  the  same  year  he  took  a  prominent 
part  in  bringing  the  New  School  Presbyterians  of  the 
South  into  organic  union  with  his  own  Old  School 
Assembly.  Then,  when  the  surrender  of  the  Confed- 
erate army  took  place  at  Appomattox,  and  Federal 
bayonets  became  dominant  in  the  South,  the  iron  entered 
Dr.  Dabney's  soul.  The  elevation  of  the  negro  to  the 
position  of  authority  and  control  for  which  he  had  no 
fitness  brought  evil  days  to  the  South,  and  Dr.  Dabney 
felt  the  keen  agony  of  that  period  along  with  the  rest 
of  the  white  people.  He  did  not,  however,  cease  to  work. 
During  the  summer  of  1865  he  toiled,  day  after  day,  as 
a  laborer  in  the  cornfield.  The  crop  which  he  gathered 
in  the  autumn  removed  from  him  for  the  time  the  appre- 
hension that  his  family  would  be  without  bread. 
Throughout  the  succeeding  winter  he  taught  a  group  of 
girls  in  his  own  home  in  connection  with  his  regular 
work  in  the  theological  seminary.  In  1866  some  of 
the  friends  of  the  seminary,  living  in  Baltimore,  fur- 
nished the  money  necessary  to  continue  the  work  of  the 
school  upon  a  more  satisfactory  basis. 

Dr.  Dabney's  activities  as  teacher  and  writer  became 
now  more  varied.  His  principal  work  was  in  the  class- 
room, where  the  intensity  of  his  convictions  and  the  vigor 
and  clearness  with  which  he  set  forth  the  principles  of  the 
Reformed  faith,  made  lasting  impressions  upon  the 
young  men  who  sat  at  his  feet.  A  rare  combination  of 
scholarship,  philosophical  insight  and  the  power  of  con- 
tinuous thought  gave  Dr.  Dabney  a  worthy  place  among 
the  foremost  theologians  of  our  countr3\ 

Dr.  Dabney  continued  to  occupy  until  1874  the  posi- 
tion of  pastor  of  the  church  at  Hampden-Sidne3\  "There 
may  have  been  others,"  writes  Dr.  P.  P.  Flournoy, 
"with  oratorical  gifts  which  he  lacked,  who  were,  for  the 
average  audience,   more  popular  preachers ;  but  as   a 


390  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

preacher  for  preachers  and  educated  thinkers  of  all 
professions,  I  think  there  can  be  no  question  that  he 
stood  without  an  equal." 

In  the  church  courts,  Dr.  Dabney  played  a  leading 
part.  He  contended  strenuously  throughout  his  life 
against  any  approach  toward  an  organic  union  of  the 
Northern  and  Southern  Churches.  As  moderator  of 
the  Southern  Assembly  at  Louisville  in  1870  he  made  a 
powerful  plea  in  favor  of  the  maintenance  of  the  inde- 
pendent position  of  the  Southern  Presbyterians. 

During  these  years,  also.  Dr.  Dabney  was  busy  with 
the  pen.  His  Life  of  Jackson  was  followed  by  the 
Defense  of  Virginia  and  the  South,  which  was  given  to 
the  public  immediately  after  the  close  of  the  war.  In 
1870  his  lectures  on  the  preparation  and  delivery  of 
sermons  were  published  under  the  title.  Sacred  Rhetoric. 
In  1871  the  Syllabus  of  his  class-room  lectures  on 
theology  was  issued  in  the  form  of  a  book.  During 
subsequent  years,  however,  these  lectures  were  rewritten 
with  many  amplifications,  and  in  1878  were  published 
again,  constituting  the  only  formal  treatise  on  Theology 
that  he  ever  gave  to  the  public.  This  volume,  filled  as 
it  is  with  the  strong,  clear  presentation  of  lofty  themes,  is 
sufficient  to  give  its  author  a  place  of  honor  among  the 
foremost  theological  writers  of  our  country. 

Dr.  Dabney's  volume  on  The  Sensualistic  Philosophy 
of  the  Nineteenth  Century  (published  in  1875)  reveals 
him  to  us  as  a  man  of  wide  learning  in  the  field  of 
philosophy,  of  keen  insight  and  strong  reasoning  powers. 
Articles  in  various  periodicals  upon  similar  themes, 
forming  a  great  body  of  philosophical  doctrine,  give 
evidence  of  unwearied  industry  and  of  great  intellectual 
ability.  Many  of  these  papers  were  afterwards  gath- 
ered into  a  set  of  volumes  entitled  Collected  Discussions, 
under  the  editorship  of  Dr.  Dabney's  lifelong  friend. 
Dr.  Clement  R.  Vaughan.  In  his  later  years  (1896), 
Dr.  Dabney  published  Practical  Philosophy,  a  series  of 


Robert  Lewis  Dabney  391 

lectures  concerned  with  the  feelings,  the  will,  ethical 
theories  and  applied  ethics.  We  are  told  that  he  him- 
self considered  this  volume  the  best  book  that  he  ever 
wrote. 

In  his  written  essays  and  in  the  addresses  delivered 
in  church  synods  and  assemblies,  Dr.  Dabney  sometimes 
used  such  vehemence  that  he  seemed  like  a  warrior  fight- 
ing against  principalities  and  powers.  First  of  all, 
with  marvelous  clearness  of  statement,  he  would  lay 
bare  the  weakness  of  theories  that  he  held  to  be  er- 
roneous. Then,  with  all  the  energy  of  his  strong  nature, 
he  would  pour  out  the  living  fire  of  his  wrath  upon  false- 
hood and  wrong-doing.  Men  sometimes  thought,  there- 
fore, that  he  was  unduly  stern  and  severe.  Those  who 
knew  him  well,  however,  tell  us  that  his  nature  was  filled 
with  the  spirit  of  kindness ;  that  he  extended  a  warm, 
personal  sympathy  toward  all  who  sought  help  or  in- 
struction from  him. 

Dr.  Dabney's  labors  were  incessant.  In  order  to 
make  the  burdens  lighter,  he  resigned  in  1874  the  pas- 
torate of  the  College  Church  at  Hampden-Sidney.  In 
1880  he  made  a  brief  visit  to  Europe.  His  strength 
was  now  declining,  however,  and  in  1883  his  phj'sician 
advised  a  warmer  climate.  For  this  reason  he  resigned 
the  chair  of  theology  at  Union  Seminary  and  took  up 
the  work  connected  with  the  chair  of  mental  and  moral 
philosophy  and  political  economy  in  the  new  University 
of  Texas,  at  Austin.  For  eleven  years  (1883-1894) 
Dr.  Dabney  taught  in  this  school  with  signal  ability 
and  success.  During  this  period  his  great  name  and 
fame  were  among  the  chief  assets  of  the  Texas  Univer- 
sity. In  the  year  1884,  in  connection  with  Dr.  R.  K. 
Smoot,  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  that  place. 
Dr.  Dabney  founded  the  Austin  Theological  Seminary. 
Teachers  and  pupils  were  alike  few  in  number,  but 
Dabney's  Systematic  Theology,  taught  by  the  great 
master  himself,  constituted  an  admirable  training  for 


392  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

ministerial  work.  Serious  illness,  accompanied  by  a 
total  failure  of  eyesight,  came  upon  Dr.  Dabney,  and 
in  1894  he  withdrew  from  the  work  of  teaching  in  the 
university. 

In  May,  1897,  when  the  Southern  Presbyterian 
Assembly  began  its  sessions  at  Charlotte,  North  Caro- 
lina, Dr.  Dabney  took  his  place  among  the  members  as 
a  delegate  from  Texas.  The  utmost  deference  was 
shown  to  the  great  leader  on  the  part  of  the  other  com- 
missioners. Many  of  his  former  pupils  were  present 
to  express  their  personal  affection  and  gratitude.  A 
series  of  addresses  was  delivered  before  the  assembly  in 
commemoration  of  the  work  of  the  Westminster  Assem- 
bly, and  Dr.  Dabney  was  led  to  the  platform  to  inaug- 
urate these  special  services  with  prayer.  The  activities 
of  former  days  seemed  to  fill  the  patriarch's  memory, 
for  as  he  sat,  apparently  lost  in  meditation,  he  repeated 
to  himself  the  words  of  Isaiah,  "We  all  do  fade  as  a 
leaf!"  Then  he  stood  up  to  plead  for  God's  blessing 
upon  the  assembly  and  upon  the  church.  Who  that 
looked  upon  him  there  can  forget  the  majestic  figure, 
the  flowing  locks?  His  mental  force  seemed  unabated 
when  he  took  part  afterwards  in  some  of  the  debates  of 
the  assembly.  One  of  the  series  of  Westminster  ad- 
dresses was  prepared  by  him  upon  the  subject  of  the 
doctrinal  contents  of  the  Confession  of  Faith.  As  men 
listened  to  the  reading  of  the  clear  exposition,  they  were 
convinced  that  Dr.  Dabney's  powers  of  analysis  were  as 
strong  as  in  the  former  days  when  he  reigned  supreme 
in  the  class-room  at  Hampden-Sidney. 

But  the  course  was  now  almost  finished.  The  months 
that  followed  the  Charlotte  Assembly  were  marked  by 
the  delivery  of  a  number  of  sermons  and  a  series  of 
lectures  at  Davidson  College  and  Columbia  Seminary. 
During  the  autumn  he  made  his  way  slowly  homeward 
to  the  town  of  Victoria,  Texas.  There,  on  January  3, 
1898,  after  a  few  hours  of  acute  suffering,  the  Master's 


Robert  Lewis  Dahney 

summons  came  and  he  answered  the  call  with  joy.  "The 
blessed  rest  is  here !"  These  were  among  his  last  words. 
Then,  in  accordance  with  his  own  wishes,  his  body  was 
laid  to  rest  beneath  the  shadow  of  the  old  church  at 
Hampden-Sidney,  in  Virginia,  within  the  same  plot  of 
ground  that  holds  the  ashes  of  John  Holt  Rice,  George 
Addison  Baxter,  Samuel  L.  Graham,  Samuel  B.  Wilson, 
Benjamin  M.  Smith,  James  F.  Latimer  and  Thomas  E. 
Peck. 

"No  church  on  this  continent,"  said  Moses  Drury 
Hoge,  speaking  of  the  Southern  Presbyterians,  "has 
been  more  favored  of  heaven  than  our  own,  in  hav- 
ing at  its  very  organization  three  such  men  as  Thorn- 
well,  Palmer  and  Dabney,  each  fitted  by  splendid  genius 
and  profound  scholarship — alike  consecrated  to  the 
noblest  uses — to  give  direction  to  its  future  life,  and 
to  enrich  it  for  all  time  by  their  published  contributions 
to  theological  science." 

Dr.  B.  M.  Palmer  wrote  of  Dr.  Dabney  as  "a  pillar 
of  strength  in  the  house  of  our  God.  How  we  shall  miss 
him,  who  leaned  upon  him  for  defense  in  the  great  battle 
for  truth!  He  was  mentally  and  morally  constituted 
a  great  polemic,  with  a  massive  intellect  capable  of 
searching  into  the  foundations  of  truth,  and  with  an 
intellectual  as  well  as  moral  indignation  against  every 
form  of  falsehood." 


CHAPTER    XLIX. 


JOHN    LEIGHTON   WILSON, 


Within  a  country  home,  in  the  eastern  part  of  South 
Carolma,  on  March  25,  1809,  John  Leighton  Wilson 
was  born.  His  father,  William  Wilson,  a  planter, 
dwelt  with  his  wife,  Jane  James,  in  a  simple  frame  house 
beneath  the  shadow  of  long-leaf  pine  trees,  near  the 
headwaters  of  the  Black  River.  Just  seventy-five  years 
before  the  birth  of  this  child,  the  great-grandfather, 
Robert  Wilson,  in  company  with  John  Witherspoon  and 
other  Scots  from  North  Ireland,  entered  the  mouth  of 
the  Black  River,  and  passing  upstream  (1734)  built 
their  log  houses  near  the  King's  Tree  in  Williamsburg 
District.  Another  member  of  that  group  of  early  set- 
tlers was  William  James,  a  native  of  Wales,  great- 
grandfather of  Jane  James,  who  was  the  mother  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  The  emigrant,  William  James, 
one  of  the  original  elders  of  the  Williamsburg  Church, 
married  Elizabeth  Witherspoon.  The  son  of  this 
couple.  Major  John  James,  an  elder  of  the  church  at 
Indiantown,  was  that  stalwart  hero  whom  we  have  al- 
ready seen  as  he  rode  by  the  side  of  General  Francis 
Marion  during  the  American  Revolution.  One  of  the 
sons  of  Major  James  was  Captain  John  James,  the  gal- 
lant soldier,  who  also  won  for  himself  a  share  in  the 
glory  of  Marion's  victories.  From  these  courageous 
men  of  war  of  the  James  family  line,  John  Leighton 
Wilson  inherited,  through  his  mother,  a  stalwart 
physical  frame,  sound  judgment  and  strenuous  energy. 
"He  was  a  Wilson  in  humility  of  soul,  simplicity  of  life, 
loveliness  of  character,  and  consecration  to  the  church," 

894 


JOHN   LEIGHTON  WILSON 


Facing  page  394 


John  Leighton  Wilson  395 

writes  his  biogrcapher,  Dr.  Hampden  C.  DiiBose;  "but 
it  was  the  James  blood  coursing  through  his  veins  that 
made  him  a  Joshua  to  the  Southern  Church  in  her  days 
of  poverty  and  desolation." 

William  Wilson,  J.  Leighton  W^ilson's  father,  was  an 
elder  in  Mount  Zion  Church,  in  the  present  Lee  County, 
South  Carolina.  Every  Sunday,  therefore,  throughout 
the  period  of  childhood  and  youth,  the  subject  of  this 
story  took  part,  in  association  with  the  other  members 
of  his  family,  in  the  solemn  religious  service  held  in  the 
old  sanctuary  that  stood  upon  the  site  of  the  present 
handsome  brick  church,  still  called  Mount  Zion.  In  the 
home  the  child  w^as  trained  in  the  knowledge  of  the 
Bible  and  the  catechisms,  and  in  due  time  he  took  upon 
himself  the  vows  of  church  membership.  He  began  his 
studies  in  a  log  schoolhouse  near  his  father's  home  and 
continued  them  at  the  famous  Zion  School,  in  the  town 
of  Winnsboro.  In  1827  J.  Leighton  W^ilson  entered 
the  junior  class  at  Union  College,  Schenectady;  New 
York.  One  of  his  fellow-students  there  was  John  B. 
Adger  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina.  In  1829  young 
W^ilson  completed  the  course  of  study  in  the  college  and 
returned  home  to  spend  the  following  winter  under  the 
personal  instruction  of  his  mother's  eldest  brother, 
Robert  Wilson  James.  The  latter  was  a  preacher  of 
wide  learning  and  great  spiritual  power,  at  that  time 
pastor  of  Salem  Church,  on  Black  River.  The  closing 
months  of  the  year  1830  were  given  by  young  Wilson 
to  the  work  of  teaching  at  Mount  Pleasant,  near  Charles- 
ton. During  that  period  the  preaching  of  the  Presby- 
terian evangelist,  Osborne,  aroused  within  his  heart  a 
sense  of  his  obligation  to  render  full  service  to  the  Lord. 
Laying  aside,  therefore,  the  tasks  of  the  schoolmaster, 
he  entered  Columbia  Seminary  in  January,  1831,  as  a 
candidate  for  the  ministry.  A  year  later,  as  the  result 
of  a  spiritual  awakening  among  the  Columbia  students 
with  reference  to  the  needs  of  the  heathen,  young  Wilson 


396  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

made  up  his  mind  to  become  a  worker  in  the  foreign 
field.  When  a  letter  came  to  him  from  the  American 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions  announcing  the  probability 
that  an  opportunity  would  be  given  to  labor  in  Africa, 
Wilson  expressed  his  willingness  to  go.  "The  people 
are  degraded  enough,"  he  wrote;  "still  they  are  our 
brethren  *  *  *  and  I  am  willing  to  labor,  live  and 
die  for  them." 

The  desire  to  give  the  gospel  to  the  people  of  Africa 
was  implanted  in  J.  Leighton  Wilson's  heart  during 
his  earlier  years.  As  a  child  he  lived  in  daily  associa- 
tion with  the  colored  men  and  women  on  his  father's 
plantation.  Every  Sunday  morning  he  saw  virtually 
all  of  the  negroes  of  the  community  assemble  for  wor- 
ship in  the  grove  of  pine  trees  near  Mount  Zion  Church. 
He  heard  their  hymns  of  praise,  and  often  listened  to 
the  words  of  the  pastor  of  the  church  as  he  preached 
the  first  sermon  of  the  day  to  the  slaves  who  lived  within 
the  limits  of  the  congregation.  When  this  service  was 
ended,  then  the  negroes  entered  the  seats  reserved  for 
them  in  the  deep  galleries  of  the  church  and  took  part 
in  worship  there  in  association  with  the  white  members 
of  the  congregation.  Moreover,  many  of  these  negro 
slaves  were  members  in  good  standing,  with  their  names 
enrolled  in  the  list  of  the  regular  membership  of  the 
church.  On  two  Sundays  in  each  year,  therefore,  all 
of  these  colored  members  were  brought  into  the  body  of 
the  church  and  given  seats  at  the  long  communion  tables, 
and  there  the  elements  of  the  Lord's  Supper  were  ad- 
ministered to  them.  Besides  all  this,  every  Sunday 
afternoon  throughout  the  year  the  heads  of  the  house- 
hold called  together  all  of  their  slaves,  young  and  old, 
and  taught  them  portions  of  the  Bible,  Sometimes, 
also,  the  pastor  of  the  church  would  preach  to  the  colored 
people  every  evening  for  an  entire  week.  One  of  the 
ministers  whose  preaching  to  negroes  was  followed  by 
many  of  the  signs  of  God's  presence  was  Robert  Wilson 


John  Leighton  Wilson  397 

James,  the  uncle  of  J,  Leighton  Wilson.  We  are  told 
that  the  slaves  often  came  in  large  numbers  from  the 
plantations  on  Black  River  to  hear  the  pastor  of  Salem 
Church  deliver  the  "simple,  lucid,  earnest"  sermons 
which  he  prepared  with  great  care  for  the  benefit  of  the 
colored  people.  The  zeal  of  this  consecrated  man  of 
God,  most  probably,  first  kindled  in  young  J.  Leighton 
Wilson's  soul  the  desire  to  give  his  life  in  behalf  of  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  the  colored  race. 

In  the  spring  of  1833  young  Wilson  completed  the 
course  of  study  in  Columbia  Seminary.  On  Sunday, 
September  8,  in  that  same  year.  Harmony  Presbytery 
assembled  in  old  Mount  Zion  Church  to  ordain  the  mis- 
sionary. Robert  W.  James  preached  the  sermon  and 
Dr.  George  Howe  delivered  the  charge  in  connection 
with  the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  presbytery.  On 
that  same  afternoon  Wilson  preached  in  the  grove  near 
the  church  to  the  negroes  of  the  congregation.  After 
the  sermon  an  old  negro  slave  came  up  to  the  preacher 
and  said  that  it  was  "in  answer  to  his  prayers"  that  this 
white  missionary  was  going  to  Africa.  Then  the  entire 
company  of  colored  people  present,  "an  immense  num- 
ber," pressed  forward  to  shake  hands  with  Mr.  Wilson, 
showing  their  affection  for  him  by  much  weeping  and 
lamentation. 

During  the  winter  of  1833,  J.  Leighton  Wilson  made  a 
preliminary  voyage  in  a  sail  vessel  to  the  western  coast 
of  Africa.  Upon  his  return  home,  in  May,  1834,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Jane  Elizabeth  Bayard 
of  Savannah,  Georgia.  The  month  of  November  found 
husband  and  wife  upon  the  sea  in  full  sail  for  Africa. 
Soon  afterwards  they  were  established  in  a  house  at 
Cape  Palmas,  near  the  southern  border  of  the  negro 
republic  of  Liberia,  on  the  African  coast,  the  first 
American  missionaries  sent  to  the  Dark  Continent. 
Within  full  view  of  their  residence,  near  the  seashore, 
were  three  towns  occupied  by  savage  tribes ;  near  these 


398  Southern  Freshyterian  Leaders 

dwelt  a  few  emancipated  negroes  sent  out  from  America 
as  colonists.  In  the  dense  jungles  near  the  house  of 
the  missionaries  lurked  the  germs  of  the  African  fever, 
and  these  at  once  assailed  the  Wilsons.  The  wife  was 
the  first  to  recover  her  strength,  and  then  for  weeks  she 
watched  alone  by  the  bedside  of  her  husband  as  he  raved 
in  delirium,  expecting  that  each  hour  would  be  his  last. 
A  period  of  about  eight  years,  from  the  beginning  of 
1834  until  1842,  was  spent  by  these  two  messengers  of 
peace  at  Cape  Palmas.  The  language  spoken  on  that 
coast,  the  Grebo  dialect,  had  never  been  brought  into 
written  form.  Mr.  Wilson,  therefore,  prepared  a  dic- 
tionary and  a  grammar  of  this  rude  tongue.  He  also 
translated  portions  of  the  Bible.  Within  a  short  space 
of  time  he  was  able  to  deliver  his  message  with  the  spoken 
word,  and  then  his  personal  work  was  multiplied.  A 
church  building  was  erected  and  schools  for  boys  and 
girls  were  established.  With  his  staff  in  his  hand  and 
accompanied  only  by  colored  helpers,  Wilson  made  long 
journeys  into  the  interior  of  Africa.  He  also  made 
voyages  in  sailing  vessels  for  hundreds  of  miles  along 
the  coast  to  study  the  customs  and  characteristics  of 
the  native  tribes.  Thus  through  perils  by  sea  and  in 
the  jungles,  perils  from  serpents  and  wild  beasts  and 
man-eating  savages,  he  continued  his  work  and  organ- 
ized a  small  congregation  of  believers.  There  was  lack 
of  harmony,  however,  between  the  native  negroes  and 
the  free  negroes  from  America,  and  Mr.  Wilson,  who 
was  looked  upon  by  the  natives  "as  a  king,"  had  to  spend 
much  of  his  time  in  maintaining  peace  betw^een  the  tw^o 
classes.  Moreover,  the  free  negroes  looked  w^ith  great 
jealousy  upon  the  influence  exercised  by  Mr.  Wilson 
over  the  natives,  for  the  latter  regarded  the  missionary 
as  their  chief  friend  and  counsellor.  For  these  reasons 
it  was  not  possible  to  make  the  Republic  of  Liberia, 
composed  of  emancipated  negroes  from  America,  the 
central  station  in  a  great  missionary  movement  among 


John  Leighton   Wilson  399 

the  savages  of  Africa.  In  1842,  therefore,  Wilson 
transferred  his  headquarters  to  a  point  farther  south 
along  the  African  coast,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Gaboon 
River.  Here  he  was  within  a  few  miles  of  the  equatorial 
line,  and  within  the  territory,  north  of  the  Congo  River, 
claimed  by  France. 

From  1842  until  the  early  part  of  the  year  1852,  a 
period  of  ten  years,  the  Wilsons  prosecuted  their  work 
in  the  region  near  the  Gaboon.  The  dialect  of  that 
coast,  the  Mpongwe,  was  reduced  to  writing;  a  dic- 
tionary and  grammar  were  prepared;  printing-presses 
were  set  up,  and  the  natives  were  taught  to  read  their 
own  language.  After  a  residence  of  onl}'  nine  months 
on  the  Gaboon,  Mr.  Wilson  began  to  preach  to  the 
people  there  in  their  own  tongue.  At  six  different  sta- 
tions along  that  coast  he  continued  to  deliver  the  gospel 
message  and  to  train  the  children  in  schools.  In  addi- 
tion to  this  regular  work,  he  was  making  those  obser- 
vations which  afterwards  formed  the  basis  of  his  History 
of  Western  Africa,  a  volume  which  still  holds  high  rank 
as  an  authoritative  account  of  the  natural  resources  and 
the  people  of  that  part  of  the  Southern  Continent.  He 
made  valuable  contributions  to  the  annals  of  science 
concerning  the  birds,  animals  and  serpents  that  dwell  in 
the  African  forests.  The  culmination  of  his  work  as  a 
man  of  science  consisted  in  his  discovery  of  the  skeleton 
of  a  new  species  of  ape  hitherto  unknown  to  civilized 
men.  This  skeleton,  to  which  the  missionary  gave  the 
name  gorilla,  was  sent  by  him  in  1846  to  the  Natural 
History  Museum  of  Boston.  Some  3'ears  after  Wilson's 
discovery  of  the  skeleton,  Paul  du  Chaillu,  the  famous 
African  traveler,  who  had  been  a  pupil  of  J.  Leighton 
Wilson  in  the  latter's  home  in  the  Gaboon  country,  met 
a  living  gorilla  face  to  face  in  the  jungle  and  published 
a  description  of  the  appearance  of  the  man-like  ape. 

A  notable  service  was  rendered  to  mankind  by  J. 
Leighton  Wilson  during  the  period  of  his  sojourn  in 


400  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

the  country  north  of  the  Congo  in  connection  with  the 
final  suppression  of  the  African  slave  traffic.  During 
his  journeys  along  this  coast  he  marked  the  coming  and 
the  going  of  swift  vessels  bearing  the  flag  of  Portugal 
or  Spain.  From  the  natives  themselves  he  heard  story 
after  story  concerning  the  visits  made  by  these  ships  to 
the  coast  under  cover  of  the  darkness  of  the  night,  fol- 
lowed by  the  spreading  of  broad  sails  in  the  early  morn- 
ing, with  cargoes  of  slaves  borne  away  as  freight  to 
Brazil.  In  the  year  1850,  therefore,  Mr.  Wilson  wrote 
in  detail  an  account  of  what  he  had  seen  and  heard,  and 
sent  it  to  a  friend  in  England.  Lord  Palmerston,  Prime 
Minister  of  England  at  that  time,  secured  a  copy  of 
Wilson's  letter  and  had  ten  thousand  copies  printed  and 
spread  broadcast  in  pamphlet  form.  The  effect  of  J. 
Leighton  Wilson's  disclosures  was  the  sending  of  addi- 
tional English  war  vessels  of  the  fleetest  type  to  the 
western  coast  of  Africa.  A  few  months  afterwards  the 
slave  traders  were  forced  to  give  up  their  business  in 
that  part  of  the  world. 

In  the  summer  of  1852,  after  a  service  of  more  than 
eighteen  years  in  Africa,  the  strength  of  the  tropical 
sun  forced  the  Wilsons  to  seek  to  regain  their  health  by 
making  a  visit  to  the  homeland.  The  following  spring 
(1853)  found  Dr.  Wilson  at  the  General  Assembly  in 
Philadelphia.  There  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  For- 
eign Missions  invited  him  to  become  one  of  their  secre- 
taries. He  accepted  the  position,  and  in  September 
began  the  task  of  superintending  the  mission  work  of 
his  own  church  in  foreign  lands.  The  city  of  New 
York  became  his  place  of  residence,  and  there,  with  wis- 
dom and  energy,  he  labored  successfully  until  his 
departure  to  the  South  in  1861.  During  the  time  of 
this  sojourn  in  a  Northern  city,  although  the  cloud  of 
war  was  lowering  over  the  entire  country,  Dr.  Wilson 
won  the  friendship,  we  are  told,  of  "the  entire  body  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  of  New  York." 


John  Leighton  Wilaon  401 

In  the  autumn  of  the  year,  1860,  Dr.  Wilson  was  in 
attendance  at  some  of  the  synods  in  the  South  and 
Southwest."  Throughout  the  regions  which  he  visited 
he  found  among  the  people  a  "spirit  of  determined 
resistance"  against  the  policy  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  with  this  spirit  he  said  that  he  was  in  warm  sym- 
pathy. With  reference  to  the  conflict  that  had  been  in 
progress  many  years  between  the  North  and  the  Soutli, 
his  heart,  he  declared,  had  "always  been  with  the  South 
as  the  injured  party."  To  Dr.  Charles  Hodge  of 
Princeton,  in  December,  1860,  Dr.  Wilson  wrote  thus: 
"I  desire  and  pray  most  earnestly  for  the  preservation 
of  the  whole  Union.  If  the  North  will  concede  what  is 
just,  and  what  the  South  imperatively  needs,  the  Union 
may  be  saved.     Otherwise,  we  go  to  pieces." 

This  attitude  of  sympathy  with  the  South  did  not 
mean  that  he  had  no  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  negro. 
In  the  year  1833,  he  expressed  his  conviction  that  "every 
human  being,  who  is  capable  of  self-government  and 
would  be  happier  in  a  state  of  freedom,  ought  to  be  free. 
I  am  not,  however,  a  friend  of  immediate  and  universal 
emancipation,  for  the  simple  reason  that  all  negroes  are 
not  ready  for  freedom  and  would  be  worse  off  in  that 
than  in  their  present  condition." 

Dr.  Wilson's  wife  inherited  about  thirty  negro  slaves. 
These  were  given  their  freedom,  and,  at  the  expense  of 
several  thousand  dollars,  drawn  from  Mrs.  Wilson's 
estate,  were  sent  as  colonists  to  Liberia.  In  that  negro 
republic  they  soon  disappeared  from  Dr.  Wilson's  view 
and  he  was  never  able  to  trace  them.  It  became,  there- 
fore, a  lasting  regret  with  him  that  these  worthy  colored 
people  were  sent  to  Africa  to  drift  back  again,  no  doubt, 
into  the  savage  state.  Two  young  negroes  whom  Dr. 
Wilson  himself  inherited  were  given  their  freedom  and 
told  to  go  whither  they  pleased.  The  freedom  thus 
offered  was  refused  and  the  two  Africans  remained  in 
voluntary  servitude  on  the  plantation,  asking  for  no 


402  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

other  treatment  than  that  which  fell  to  tjie  lot  of  the 
entire  company  of  slaves  at  the  home  of  Dr.  Wilson's 
father. 

In  addition  to  the  offering  of  freedom  to  his  slaves, 
Dr.  Wilson  had  spent  his  entire  life,  thus  far,  in  striving 
to  befriend  the  African  in  his  native  jungle,  both  in  the 
work  of  checking  the  slave  traffic  and  in  that  of  giving 
the  gospel  to  the  tribes  of  the  western  coast.  But  when 
the  issue  was  joined  between  the  North  and  the  South 
over  the  question  of  the  immediate  emancipation  of  the 
Southern  serfs,  Dr.  Wilson  entertained  no  shadow  of 
doubt  in  his  own  mind  as  to  the  complete  justice  of  the 
Southern  cause.  In  spite  of  his  years  of  association 
with  the  people  of  the  North,  he  was  heart  and  soul  with 
the  South.  In  January,  1861,  when  the  news  reached 
New  York  city  that  a  South  Carolina  battery  had  fired 
upon  the  Federal  vessel,  Star  of  the  West,  as  she  was 
attempting  to  enter  Charleston  Harbor  to  strengthen 
Fort  Sumter,  and  had  forced  the  ship  to  withdraw  from 
this  act  of  hostility  against  the  state  of  South  Carolina, 
Dr.  Wilson  manifested  the  liveliest  satisfaction  to  learn 
that  the  people  of  his  native  commonwealth  were  ready 
to  fight  for  their  inherited  rights.  His  heart  was  filled 
with  grief  to  see  the  tenacious  purpose  of  a  party  In  the 
North  to  urge  on  the  war  movement  against  the  South. 
Nevertheless,  he  hesitated  not  a  single  moment  with  ref- 
erence to  his  own  course.  "You  see  the  great  power  and 
the  tremendous  forces  of  the  North,  their  Intense  hatred 
of  secession,  and  their  fixed  determination  to  crush  the 
South  If  they  do  not  yield  to  the  Federal  Government. 
I  pray  God  to  avert  the  storm  and  save  us  from  the 
hands  of  civil  war ;  but  if  it  comes,  my  mind  Is  made  up ; 
I  will  go  and  suffer  with  my  people."  There  were  tears 
in  his  eyes  and  a  tremor  In  his  voice  as  he  spoke  these 
words  to  Dr.  J.  J.  Bullock  in  February,  1861.  He  sold 
his  home  In  the  city  of  New  York  at  a  financial  loss, 
settled  his   accounts  with  the  Foreign  Mission   Board 


John  Leighton   Wilson  403 

with  the  most  scrupulous  exactness,  and  then  in  May, 
1861,  at  Phihidelphia,  bade  farewell  to  his  brethren  of 
the  Northern  Assembly.  He  came  southward  across  the 
Potomac  to  identify  himself  with  his  own  people,  without 
a  home  and  without  the  means  of  subsistence.  He 
rented  a  small  farm-house  near  the  home  of  his  youth 
in  South  Carolina,  and  then  stood  ready  to  give  the 
remainder  of  his  days  to  the  Southern  Church.  "Our 
wisest  man  is  gone  out  from  us,"  said  Dr.  Charles  Hodge 
of  Princeton  when  Dr.  Wilson  returned  from  New  York 
to  South  Carolina.  It  was  this  same  great  Princeton 
leader  who  said  further  that  Dr.  J.  I.eighton  Wilson 
"was  the  wisest  man  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  and 
had  more  of  the  apostolic  spirit  than  any  one  I  ever 
knew." 

Dr.  Wilson  was  a  man  of  sleepless  activity  with  refer- 
ence to  the  work  entrusted  to  the  church.  In  the  early 
summer  of  1861,  almost  immediately  after  his  arrival  in 
South  Carolina,  with  the  aid  and  sanction  of  some  of 
the  Presbyterian  ministers  and  elders  of  his  native  state, 
he  began  to  collect  money  for  the  support  of  our  mis- 
sionaries in  the  Indian  Territory.  Within  a  few  weeks 
the  sum  of  about  four  thousand  dollars  was  secured  and 
expended  for  the  benefit  of  the  red  men  in  the  Southwest. 
When  delegates  from  a  number  of  the  Southern  presby- 
teries came  together  in  the  Atlanta  Convention,  in 
August,  1861,  this  body  advised  Dr.  Wilson  to  continue 
the  work  which  he  had  already  begun.  He  secured  at 
once,  therefore,  by  personal  appeal  to  the  people  of  the 
churches,  a  large  additional  sum  of  money  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  missionary  work  among  the  Indians.  In 
October,  1861,  he  made  a  journey  to  the  Indian  Terri- 
tory and  set  the  work  forward  through  his  own  wise 
supervision.  When,  therefore,  the  first  Southern  As- 
sembly met  at  Augusta,  Georgia,  on  December  4,  1861, 
Dr.  Wilson  was  present  to  tell  about  missionary  tasks 
already  accomplished.     After  its  organization  the  first 


404  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

regular  order  of  business  arranged  by  the  Augusta 
Assemby  was  "the  hearing  of  a  report  by  Dr.  J,  Leigh- 
ton  Wilson  on  the  subject  of  Foreign  Missions." 

When  Dr.  Wilson  arose  in  the  presence  of  the  assem- 
bly to  read  the  report  of  his  own  activities  during  the 
preceding  months,  he  was  the  impersonation  of  physical 
and  moral  manhood.  His  height  was  about  six  feet  two 
inches,  and  he  was  then  in  the  fifty-third  year  of  his  age. 
The  story  of  the  years  of  service  spent  in  Africa  and 
in  making  journej'^s  among  the  churches  in  his  own 
country  was  written  in  the  lines  that  furrowed  his  brow. 
His  outward  manner  was  marked  by  a  quiet  dignity,  but 
his  heart  was  filled  with  the  fire  of  missionary  enthusi- 
asm. In  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  South  was  at  that 
time  surrounded  by  hostile  armies  and  navies,  the 
Augusta  Assembly,  under  the  leadership  of  Wilson, 
determined  to  send  six  new  missionaries  to  the  Indians 
of  the  Southwest,  to  raise  the  sum  of  $20,000  each  year 
for  the  support  of  evangelistic  work  in  that  region,  and 
made  plans,  also,  to  send  gospel  messengers  to  Japan, 
China,  Africa  and  South  America  "as  fields  where  we 
are  soon  to  be  called  to  win  glorious  victories  for  our 
King." 

The  work  of  Foreign  Missions  was  placed  under  the 
care  of  Dr.  Wilson  as  secretary.  In  1863,  when  Dr. 
John  Leyburn,  secretary  of  Home  Missions,  was  forced 
by  the  Federal  authorities  to  leave  New  Orleans,  the 
work  connected  with  that  cause  was  assigned  also  to  Dr. 
Wilson.  As  Home  Secretary  he  was  charged  with  the 
task  of  arranging  a  large  part  of  the  chaplain  service  in 
the  Confederate  armies.  His  call  was  sent  out  at  once 
among  the  Presbyterian  ministers  of  the  South,  and,  as 
we  have  seen,  there  were  many  who  left  their  regular 
pastoral  charges  and  joined  the  preachers  who  were 
already  in  the  Confederate  camps.  Dr.  Wilson  himself 
made  visits  to  the  various  synods  to  secure  funds  and  to 
arrange  for  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  in  all  of  the 


John  Leighton  Wilson  405 

churches  and  m  all  of  the  armies  of  the  South.  One 
day  he  would  be  forraulatmg  plans  in  his  offices  in  the 
buildings  of  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Columbia, 
South  Carolina;  another  day  he  would  be  making  an 
address  before  a  synod,  laying  the  necessities  of  the 
work  upon  the  hearts  of  the  members ;  on  yet  another 
day,  while  acting  as  chaplain,  he  would  preach  the  word 
to  Confederate  soldiers.  Near  the  close  of  the  war  he 
was  moving  about  among  the  Confederate  regiments 
near  Petersburg,  Virginia,  supplying  chaplains  to  the 
army.  Dr.  R.  L.  Dabney  tells  us  that,  in  front  of 
Petersburg,  one  windy  Sunday  in  March,  Dr.  Wilson 
"preached  to  a  South  Carolina  regiment  in  the  trenches, 
and  even  administered  the  Lord's  Supper  under  a  drop- 
ping picket  fire."  The  day  following  this  service  in  the 
trenches,  Dr.  Wilson  held  a  personal  conference  with 
General  R.  E.  Lee  "concerning  the  spiritual  wants  of 
the  army."  In  May,  1865,  it  was  Dr.  Wilson  who,  in 
his  report  on  Home  Missions,  made  the  declaration 
already  quoted  in  this  volume,  to  the  effect  that  the  out- 
pouring of  God's  Spirit  upon  the  Confederate  armies 
"may  be  regarded  as  an  encouraging  token  of  God's 
purpose  to  favor  and  bless  our  future  Zion." 

To  build  up  again  a  broken  country  and  a  broken 
church — that  was  the  task  resting  upon  the  people  of 
the  South  in  1865.  For  such  work  J.  Leighton  Wilson 
had  been  made  ready  through  a  life  of  discipline. 
Thenceforward,  for  twenty  years,  he  pointed  out  the 
way  through  the  wilderness  as  one  of  the  most  efficient 
leaders  that  God  ever  sent  to  any  people. 

"Strong,  simple,  silent,     *      *     *      such  was  he 
Who  helped  us  in  our  need." 

Not  altogether  silent,  indeed,  was  Dr.  Wilson,  for  he 
knew  how  to  prepare  admirable  reports  concerning  work 
done,  and  he  could  make  stirring  appeals  for  men  and 


406  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

money  to  carry  out  his  plans.  The  plans  for  restoring 
the  walls  of  Zion  were  well  laid,  and  he  went  about  among 
the  people  of  the  entire  Southland,  breathing  into  them 
the  spirit  of  his  own  marvelous  courage.  "A  dark  cloud 
hangs  upon  our  horizon,"  he  wrote  in  one  of  his  official 
reports  after  the  war,  "but  the  great  mediatorial  King 
reigns  and  the  church  is  safe.  He  who  has  hitherto 
defended  us  from  every  enemy,  upheld  us  under  every 
trial,  and  from  time  to  time  has  bestowed  so  many 
precious  tokens  of  His  favor  upon  us  as  a  church,  surely 
will  be  faithful  to  the  end.  Let  us  then  go  forward  in 
the  path  of  duty  with  a  firm  step  and  a  courageous 
heart." 

The  firm  step  and  the  courageous  heart  in  a  pre- 
eminent degree  marked  this  great  leader.  The  prin- 
cipal activities  of  the  entire  Southern  Church,  apart 
from  her  educational  and  publishing  agencies,  were  en- 
trusted to  the  care  of  Dr.  Wilson.  Work  of  a  twofold 
character  was  laid  upon  him  through  his  appointment 
as  secretary  of  Foreign  Missions  and  secretary  of  the 
work  of  sustentation.  The  latter  was  established  to 
take  the  place  of  the  cause  previously  designated  as 
Domestic  Missions.  To  sustain  congregations  that  had 
been  weakened  by  the  ravages  of  warfare,  to  repair 
shattered  churches  and  erect  new  buildings,  to  send 
evangelists  from  field  to  field  throughout  the  wasted 
land — such  was  the  burden  laid  upon  this  stalwart  man. 
In  addition,  he  must  encourage  the  church  to  remain 
steadfast  in  her  purpose  to  continue  to  send  missionaries 
beyond  the  seas.  From  1866  until  1872  Dr.  Wilson 
walked  alone  beneath  this  double  burden.  In  1872  the 
Home  Mission  department  was  assigned  to  Dr.  Richard 
Mcllwaine,  and,  in  1883,  to  Dr.  John  Newton  Craig. 
The  activities  of  our  church  in  foreign  lands  were  thus 
left  to  the  sole  management  of  Dr.  Wilson.  In  1866  he 
began  to  plant  mission  stations  in  China  and  Colombia. 
This  was  followed  by  missions  in  Italy  (1867),  Brazil 


John  Leighton   Wilson  407 

(1868),  Mexico  and  Greece  (1874).  At  a  later  time  our 
church  has  entered  Japan  (1886),  Cuba  and  the  Congo 
region  (1890),  and  Korea  (1892). 

Let  us  here  repeat  the  statement  already  made  that, 
during  the  period  following  the  close  of  the  war  our 
country  was  passing  through  the  various  stages  of  a 
revolution,  the  only  real  revolution  that  has  ever  affected 
the  administration  of  the  internal  affairs  of  the  American 
commonwealths.  During  that  time  the  dominant  politi- 
cal party  holding  full  control  of  every  department  of  the 
Federal  Government,  and  using  the  legislative  depart- 
ment as  its  most  aggressive  agency,  was  engaged  in  a 
persistent  attempt  to  Africanize  the  Southern  states. 
The  lives  and  the  property  of  the  white  people  of  the 
South  were  placed  under  the  control  of  the  negroes. 
While  the  latter,  to  their  credit  be  it  said,  did  not  thirst 
for  blood,  yet  they  destroyed  property,  wasted  public 
revenues,  checked  and  even  paralyzed  every  industry, 
brought  humiliation  upon  the  white  people  and  laid 
upon  them  the  terrible  burden  of  debts  that  must  be 
borne  for  generations  yet  to  come.  Changes  so  radical 
and  afflictions  so  grievous  have  seldom  been  imposed 
upon  any  people,  not  even  upon  France  as  the  result  of 
the  movement  known  as  the  French  Revolution  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  Throughout  those  years  of  bitter 
trial  and  sorrow,  J.  Leighton  Wilson  moved  among  his 
people  as  a  tower  of  strength.  He  met  his  countrymen 
always  with  a  smile  and  bade  them  trust  God  and  cease 
not  to  work.  He  must  be  assigned,  therefore,  a  worthy 
position,  not  merely  among  Presbyterian  leaders,  but 
also  in  that  company  of  noble  guides  in  every  sphere  of 
life  who  brought  the  South  through  the  period  of  her 
greatest  need  into  the  peace  of  these  later  years.  Dr. 
Wilson  "wielded  more  real  power  in  the  Southern  Pres- 
byterian Church  than  any  other  man  in  it,"  writes  Dr. 
Robert  L.  Dabney.  "Every  one  was  certain  of  the 
purity  of  his  aims.     Always  modest  and  conciliatory, 


408  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

yet  he  was  perfectly  candid  and  manly.  He  practiced 
no  arts  nor  policies,  but  relied  solely  upon  the  appeals 
of  facts  and  reasoning  to  the  consciences  of  his  brethren." 
"The  law  of  kindness  was  in  his  lips,"  writes  Dr.  M. 
Hale  Houston;  "his  spirit  of  love  and  the  clearness  of 
his  convictions  made  him  stand  firm  as  an  oak." 

From  1875  until  1884  Dr.  Wilson's  office  as  secretary 
of  Foreign  Missions  was  in  Baltimore.  In  this  large 
business  center  his  ability  as  a  manager  of  financial 
affairs  was  demonstrated  more  and  more  as  the  church 
became  more  able  to  contribute  funds  for  the  support 
of  mission  work.  In  Baltimore  he  was  in  close  personal 
association  with  Dr.  J.  J.  Bullock,  Dr.  J.  A.  Lefevre 
and  Dr.  W.  U.  Murkland,  preachers  of  great  efficiency 
and  attractiveness.  "One  of  the  best  and  noblest  men" 
was  the  form  in  which  Murkland  set  forth  his  estimate 
of  Wilson.  On  May  21,  1884,  the  faithful  messenger 
of  peace  celebrated  with  his  wife  their  golden  wedding. 
The  General  Assembly,  then  in  session,  sent  words  of 
affectionate  greeting.  A  few  months  later  the  weary 
leader  laid  down  the  pen  in  the  office,  spoke  some  words 
of  good  cheer  to  Dr.  M.  H.  Houston  and  Dr.  J.  N. 
Craig,  who  had  been  appointed  to  carry  forward  the 
work,  and  quietly  went  back  from  Baltimore  to  Salem, 
the  Wilson  home  on  Black  River,  in  South  Carolina. 
There  in  July,  1885,  the  beloved  wife  was  called  away 
from  his  side.  For  a  few  months  longer  he  continued 
to  walk  beneath  the  great  trees  near  his  dwelling-place, 
saying,  "I  look  to  the  end  with  much  comfort,  having 
learned  from  my  dear  wife  how  to  die."  Within  less 
than  a  year  after  her  departure  the  heavenly  messenger 
called  for  him.  Side  by  side  they  are  sleeping  today 
near  the  door  of  the  house  of  God  in  which  his  fathers 
offered  worship,  the  sanctuary  among  the  pine  trees 
known  as  Mount  Zion. 


JACOB   HENRY  SMITH 


Facing  page  409 


CHAPTER    L. 


JACOB   HENRY   SMITH. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Lexington,  Virginia,  in  August,  1820.  His  mother's 
family  was  of  Scotch  descent ;  his  father  was  a  German, 
whose  ancestors  for  several  generations  had  dwelt 
among  the  Scotch-Irish  people  of  the  Valley  of  Virginia. 
Jacob  Henry  Smith  was  received  at  an  early  age  as  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Lexington,  whose 
pastor  at  that  time  was  Dr.  George  A.  Baxter.  In  the 
summer  of  1843  he  completed  the  course  of  study  at 
Washington  College,  the  Presbyterian  church  school  lo- 
cated in  his  native  town,  of  which  Rev.  Henry  Ruffner, 
D.  D.,  was  then  president.  The  autumn  of  1843  found 
him  in  Union  Seminary,  Virginia,  seeking  to  prepare 
himself  for  the  gospel  ministry.  One  of  his  fellow-stu- 
dents in  the  seminary  was  Robert  Lewis  Dabney,  who  has 
written  these  words  about  Jacob  H.  Smith:  "It  was 
difficult  for  me  to  avoid  envying  his  gifts  and  habits  as  a 
student.  He  was  compact  in  build,  with  perfect  vigor 
and  health,  of  a  cordial  and  joyous  temperament,  with 
methodical  habits  and  the  greatest  capacity  for  labor. 
His  classmates  said  that  he  studied  fourteen  solid  hours 
out  of  the  twenty- four." 

From  the  seminary,  in  1846,  he  entered  a  pas- 
torate at  Pittsylvania  Courthouse,  Virginia.  From  1850 
until  1854  he  was  the  headmaster  of  an  academy  in 
Halifax  County,  Virginia.  Marked  success  rested  upon 
his  management  of  this  school,  and  also  upon  his  work 
here  as  teacher  of  both  Latin  and  Greek.  Then  in  1854 
he  became  shepherd  of  the  Presbyterian  flock  in  the  city 


409 


410  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

of  Charlottesville,  Virginia.  His  preaching  already  had 
that  flavor  that  comes  from  the  reading  of  many  books, 
and  for  this  reason  some  of  the  scholarly  men  connected 
with  the  University  of  Virginia  often  came  to  hear  him. 
At  the  same  time  his  words  were  so  filled  with  earnest 
pleading  that  many  souls  were  persuaded  to  enter 
Christ's  kingdom. 

In  April,  1859,  Dr.  Smith  began  his  career  as  pastor 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Greensboro,  North  Caro- 
lina. This  work  was  continued  with  increasing  success 
throughout  a  period  of  well  nigh  forty  years  until  his 
death  in  1897.  Knowledge  of  the  Scriptures  and  of  the 
ancient  languages  in  which  they  are  written,  knowledge 
of  men,  knowledge  acquired  by  reading  books  of  many 
kinds — knowledge  that  was  both  accurate  and  of  wide 
range  formed  an  important  part  of  the  equipment  of 
this  great  preacher  as  he  entered  upon  his  life-work  at 
Greensboro.  His  heart,  moreover,  was  as  a  fountain 
of  sympathy.  Wherefore,  when  he  appeared  among 
the  people  as  a  man  sent  from  God  to  point  out  the  way 
of  salvation,  the  clear,  strong  message  found  a  place  in 
the  hearts  of  many.  As  a  pastor  he  knew  the  infirmi- 
ties and  the  virtues  of  every  member  of  his  flock,  and  he 
knew  how  to  offer  help  and  good  counsel  and  good  cheer. 

When  the  war  began  between  North  and  South  he 
showed  his  qualities  as  a  leader  in  a  field  wider  than  that 
of  his  own  congregation.  On  June  16,  1861,  only  a 
short  space  of  time  after  the  adoption  of  the  Spring 
Resolution  by  the  assembly  in  Philadelphia,  Dr.  Smith 
arose  during  one  of  the  sessions  of  Orange  Presbytery, 
of  which  he  was  a  member,  and  proposed  that  steps 
should  be  taken  to  organize  the  Southern  presbyteries 
as  an  independent  assembly  in  the  South.  Thus,  among 
the  earliest  proposals  in  behalf  of  the  complete  separa- 
tion of  the  Southern  Church  from  the  Northern  Church, 
was  the  measure  advocated  b}'  this  wise,  conservative 
shepherd  of  the  flock  at  Greensboro,  North  Carolina. 


Jacob  Henry  Smith  411 

The  blessings  poured  out  upon  the  labors  of  Dr. 
Smith  during  his  long  pastorate  constitute  one  of  the 
memorials  of  the  fact  that  God's  presence  has  been  with 
the  church  in  the  South.  The  years  of  the  pilgrimage  of 
the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church  throughout  the  pe- 
riod of  the  war  and  the  Reconstruction  have  been 
marked  by  the  pillar  of  fire  and  the  pillar  of  cloud. 
By  day  and  by  night,  in  the  home,  in  the  house  of 
God,  and  in  the  military  encampment,  God  was 
speaking  through  His  heralds  unto  His  people.  And 
the  people  heard  the  message  and  gave  heed.  The 
church  increased  in  numbers  and  in  good  works. 
Among  the  congregations,  therefore,  that  multiplied 
exceedingly  in  strength  and  in  service,  Dr.  Smith's 
church  must  hold  a  Avorthy  place,  and  Dr.  Smith  him- 
self, as  the  quiet,  tireless  husbandman  at  home,  must 
be  called  one  of  the  great  and  worthy  leaders  of  the 
people  of  the  South.  Two  churches  as  colonies  have 
been  sent  out  from  the  Greensboro  congregation.  Ten 
ministers  of  the  gospel,  including  three  sons  from  Dr. 
Smith's  own  fireside,  have  been  brought  into  the  service 
of  the  church  from  the  Greensboro  field  during  this 
single  pastorate.  Elders  and  deacons,  and  Christians 
who  held  not  any  office  in  the  church  were  trained 
through  the  agency  of  Dr.  Smith  to  manifest  wisdom 
and  honesty  and  godliness  in  discharging  their  trust  as 
officers  of  the  civil  government.  And  thus  this  strenuous 
laborer  continued  to  enlarge  his  work  to  the  very  end. 

"Such  success,"  writes  Robert  L.  Dabney,  "represents 
a  huge  aggregate  of  diligent  toils ;  yet  Dr.  Smith  was 
behind  few  of  those  who  devoted  themselves  exclusively 
to  study  and  teaching.  In  theological  learning  he  was 
an  accurate  scholar;  in  the  Biblical  languages  an  accom- 
plished exegete.  He  was  not  only  a  profound  theologian, 
but  abreast  with  the  general  literature  of  the  day." 

When  one  sought  out  Dr.  Smith  in  his  study,  says 
Bishop   Edward   Rondthaler,    one   "found   a  true   and 


412  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

enthusiastic  scholar  in  the  midst  of  his  books.  At  the 
time  when  I  first  visited  him  he  was  rereading  Thucy- 
dides  in  Greek  with  all  the  ardor  of  a  young  student. 
His  readings  were  wide  and  appreciative.  This  was, 
doubtless,  part  of  the  secret  of  his  wonderful  freshness 
of  thought  in  old  age." 

"More  than  any  other  person  I  have  known,"  writes 
James  M.  Rawlings,  "he  rejoiced  in  the  sweetness  and 
light  of  the  Christian  life  and  escaped  life's  bitterness 
and  gloom."  Others  speak  of  Dr.  Smith's  keen  sense 
of  humor,  his  rare  skill  in  telling  a  story,  and  how  he 
rejoiced  with  those  who  rejoiced,  and  wept  with  those 
who  wept. 

His  chief  work,  however,  was  that  of  preaching  the 
Word  of  God.  "He  made  all  his  study  and  reading- 
flow  through  his  sermons,"  says  Dr.  E.  H.  Plarding. 
"This  kept  him  fresh  and  thoughtful.  There  was  no 
letting  down  in  his  work ;  the  average  was  always  high. 
His  people  were  instructed,  built  up,  developed.  No 
man  was  more  at  home  in  the  pulpit ;  he  belonged  there ; 
it  was  his  throne  and  he  reigned  there  as  one  born  to 
the  purple." 

"It  was  as  a  preacher  of  the  truth  that  Dr.  Smith 
excelled,"  writes  Dr.  William  S.  Lacy.  "All  his  powers 
of  mind,  all  his  rich  stores  of  knowledge,  all  his  spiritual 
gifts  and  graces,  all  his  intellectual  and  phj'^sical  ability 
were  made  to  contribute  to  this  one  great  end.  His  sen- 
tences were  finished  with  skill  and  grace.  He  used  with 
exquisite  art  apt  citations  of  poetry  and  appropriate 
illustrations.  He  took  the  utmost  pains  in  all  the  de- 
tails of  preparation,  writing  in  full  his  discourse.  Yet 
"  the  sermon,  work  of  art  and  thought  as  it  was,  was  in 
his  hands  but  a  weapon,  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  which 
he  used  with  masterly  skill.  He  was  one  of  the  most 
solemn  and  convincing  preachers  to  the  conscience  I  ever 
heard.  *  *  *  He  had  a  strong,  rich,  full  voice; 
his  articulation  was  admirable,  his  pronunciation  fault- 


Jacob  Henry  Smith  413 

less.  He  was  a  type  and  a  model  of  a  great  preacher 
of  the  Word."  Many  pubHc  positions  of  trust  and 
honor  were  bestowed  upon  Dr.  Smith  by  his  brethren  in 
the  church.  As  member  of  two  separate  boards  of 
directors,  he  gave  wise  help  in  the  work  of  building  up 
Davidson  College,  in  North  Carolina,  and  Union  Semi- 
nary, in  Virginia.  Through  the  mercy  of  God  he  was 
permitted  to  continue  his  marvelous  activities  until  the 
very  end  of  a  long  life.  Then,  in  November,  1897,  the 
strenuous  laborer  was  called  to  receive  his  reward. 


CHAPTER    LI. 


STUART    ROBINSON. 


Among  the  Scots  of  North  Ireland,  in  the  month  of 
November,  1814,  Stuart  Robinson  was  boi'n.  Soon 
after  this  event,  his  father,  a  linen  merchant,  brought 
the  family  across  the  Atlantic  and  established  a  home 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  Valley  of  Virginia.  There,  not 
far  from  the  Potomac  River,  Stuart's  boyhood  was 
spent.  Every  Sunday  for  several  years  he  walked  six 
miles  to  Falling  Water  Church  to  receive  instruction  in 
the  Sunday-school  which  his  own  mother  organized  and 
there  to  listen  to  the  words  of  grace  that  fell  from  the 
lips  of  the  pastor,  one  of  the  most  effective  preachers  of 
that  day,  John  Blair  Hoge.  During  the  week,  under 
the  mother's  guidance,  he  stored  up  in  his  memory  the 
words  of  the  catechism  and  various  selections  from  the 
Bible.  When  the  lad  was  about  thirteen  years  of  age 
the  faithful  mother  died.  Then  the  father,  on  account 
of  his  own  physical  infirmities,  was  forced  to  break  up 
the  home  and  his  six  sons  became  members  of  other 
households.  Stuart  was  received  into  the  home  of  Rev. 
James  Moore  Brown,  who  had  become  pastor  of  the 
church.  This  minister  was  one  of  the  sons  of  Samuel 
Brown  and  Mary  Moore.  The  latter,  as  we  remember, 
endured  many  hardships  during  a  period  of  captivity 
among  the  Indians.  Her  son,  inheriting  her  sound  judg- 
ment and  her  piety,  sought  to  develop  these  qualities 
in  young  Stuart  Robinson.  The  latter  was  a  diligent 
student,  eager  to  learn,  and  under  the  instruction  of 
James  M.  Brown  he  laid  the  foundations  of  an  accurate 
scholarship.     In  these  days  of  early  youth  he  became  a 

414 


STUART   ROBINSON 


Facing  page  414 


Stuart  Robinson  415 

Christian  and,  wliile  he  was  yet  living  under  Mr.  Brown's 
roof,  decided  to  become  a  preacher  of  the  gospel.  He 
sought  special  instruction  from  William  Henry  Foote, 
who  was  then  in  charge  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and 
the  academy  at  Romney,  Virginia.  Then,  in  October, 
1832,  young  Robinson  entered  Amherst  College,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  remained  there  until  he  completed  the  en- 
tire course  of  study  in  1836.  One  of  his  fellow-students 
in  that  school  for  a  brief  period  was  Benjamin  M.  Pal- 
mer. A  year  in  Union  Seminary,  Virginia,  followed  by 
two  3'^ears  of  teaching,  and  then  by  a  session  at  Princeton 
Seminary,  brought  him  to  the  time  of  licensure  as  a  min- 
ister in  184*1.  He  began  preaching  at  Maiden,  on  the 
Kanawha  River,  as  a  close  neighbor  of  his  friend,  James 
M.  Brown,  who  had  become  shepherd  of  the  flock  at 
Charleston  on  the  Kanawha,  the  present  capital  of  West 
Virginia. 

In  1847  Dr.  Robinson  entered  the  ministerial  field  at 
Frankfort,  the  capital  of  Kentucky.  He  was  then  thirty 
years  of  age,  and  gave  the  impression  that  he  was  a  man 
of  great  physical  vigor.  And  so  he  was.  The  people 
soon  learned  that  he  was  filled  with  tremendous  energy. 
In  order  to  guide  his  flock  aright,  he  accepted  the  office 
of  city  councilman,  and  also  that  of  director  in  a  new 
bank.  These  positions  were  used,  however,  only  to  win 
the  friendship  and  confidence  of  the  people  of  the  city. 
His  expositions  of  the  Word  of  God  began  to  attract 
an  increasing  number  of  hearers  into  his  church.  He 
began  to  deliver  a  series  of  lectures  on  the  Old  Testa- 
ment at  the  Sunday  night  services,  and  these  soon  drew 
large  congregations.  A  spiritual  revival  among  the 
members  of  his  flock  in  the  summer  of  1849  gave  evi- 
dence that  the  divine  approval  was  resting  upon  his 
work. 

In  September,  1852,  he  became  pastor  of  the  Asso- 
ciate Reformed  Church,  located  on  Fayette  street  in 
Baltimore.    "Overflowing  and  delighted  houses"  greeted 


416  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

him,  not  only  when  he  preached  his  regular  morning 
sermons,  but  every  Sunday  night  when  he  gave  lectures 
on  Old  Testament  history.  A  mission  chapel  was  or- 
ganized, but  differences  of  opinion  arose  between  Dr. 
Robinson  and  some  of  his  people  about  the  administra- 
tion of  church  affairs  and  he  resigned  the  pastorate. 
A  large  number  of  the  members  of  the  flock  persuaded 
him  to  organize  a  new  church.  This  he  did,  and  a  new 
building  was  erected,  called  "Central  Presbyterian 
Church."  With  this  congregation  he  remained  from  the 
spring  of  1853  until  the  autumn  of  1856.  During  a 
part  of  this  time  he  was  associated  with  Dr.  Thomas  E. 
Peck,  another  pastor  in  Baltimore,  and  afterwards  a 
well-known  theological  teacher,  in  managing  a  monthly 
review  entitled  the  Preshyterial  Critic.  With  reference 
to  the  period  of  his  labors  in  Baltimore,  it  was  said  by 
one  who  knew  well  the  facts,  that  "hundreds  of  souls 
will  bless  him  forever  as  the  means  of  their  salvation, 
or  of  the  revival  of  their  faith  and  love." 

For  two  sessions,  from  the  fall  of  1856  until  the 
spring  of  1858,  Dr.  Robinson  was  engaged  in  teaching 
the  subjects  of  church  government  and  pastoral 
theology  in  the  Danville  Theological  Seminary  in  Ken- 
tucky. In  1858  he  became  pastor  of  the  Second  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  Louisville,  thus  resuming  the  work 
for  which  his  great  powers  of  mind  and  heart  fitted  him, 
that  of  preaching  the  gospel  in  a  large  city.  A  new 
church  building  was  erected  for  him  and  its  pews  were 
crowded  at  every  service  to  hear  his  expositions  of  the 
Bible.  At  the  same  time,  as  the  editor  of  a  religious 
journal  called  the  True  Presbyterian,  he  was  appealing 
to  a  larger  constituency  by  way  of  uttering  a  solemn  pro- 
test against  the  practice  of  bringing  political  issues  into 
church  pulpits  and  church  courts.  When  the  General 
Assembly  at  Philadelphia,  in  1861,  virtually  adopted  the 
platform  of  the  dominant  political  party  and  thus  cut 
off  Southern  Presbyterians  from  membership,  Dr.  Rob- 


Stuart  Robinson  117 

inson  assailed  the  position  of  tlie  Northern  majority. 
The  statements  made  in  his  editorial  columns  were  mark- 
ed by  such  bold  frankness  that  the  Federal  military  au- 
thorities in  control  of  the  city  of  Louisville,  early  in 
1862,  suppressed  the  True  Presbyterian.  In  July  of 
that  same  year  he  went  to  Canada  to  visit  an  invalid 
brother.  By  reason  of  urgent  warnings  that  the  Fed- 
eral authorities  would  cast  him  into  prison  if  he  should 
return  to  Louisville,  Dr.  Robinson  remained  in  Canada 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  The  years  of  his  enforced 
exile  were  filled  with  the  work  of  preaching  and  with  the 
writing  of  that  admirable  volume  of  Biblical  expositions, 
entitled  Discourses  of  Redemption.  In  the  month  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1865,  just  as  the  armies  of  the  South  were  begin- 
ning to  taste  the  final  bitterness  of  defeat,  Dr.  Robinson 
delivered  before  his  Canadian  congregation  a  discourse 
bearing  the  following  title:  "Slavery  as  recognized  in 
the  Mosaic  Civil  Law,  and  as  recognized,  also,  and  al- 
lowed in  the  Abrahamic,  Mosaic  and  Christian  Church." 
The  opinion  of  most  of  the  people  in  his  audience  was 
not  in  harmony  with  his  own  view;  nevertheless,  he  felt 
impelled  to  declare  his  testimony  concerning  the  prin- 
ciples set  forth  in  the  Bible.  Having  thus  spoken  in 
defense  of  the  South,  he  soon  afterwards  came  again 
to  Louisville  to  help  his  own  people  in  the  hour  of  trial. 
From  April,  1866,  through  many  years,  his  voice  con- 
tinued to  ring  out  from  the  pulpit  of  the  Second  Church. 
With  reference  to  the  quality  of  his  utterances.  Dr. 
Thomas  E.  Peck,  who  knew  Dr.  Robinson  well,  declares 
that  he  stood  before  the  people  "with  the  conviction 
that  he  is  the  anointed  ambassador  of  the  King  of  kings. 
*  *  *  Wonderfully  gifted  indeed,  and  capable  of 
interesting  men  in  anything,  yet,  as  a  preacher  and 
ambassador,  confining  himself  to  his  written  instructions, 
he  has  demonstrated  that  the  people  need  no  other 
attraction  to  draw  them  to  the  house  of  God  than  a 
simple,  rational  and  practical  exposition  of  the  Bible. 


418  Southern  Preshyterian  Leaders 

*  *  *  The  secret  of  his  popularity  is  his  aiming  to 
make  the  Bible  a  living  message  from  God  to  men,  by 
translating  it  into  the  current  forms  of  thought  and 
speech." 

In  addition  to  the  messages  sent  forth  from  the  pulpit, 
Dr.  Robinson  was  in  these  same  years  speaking  to  his 
countrymen  through  the  pages  of  his  book,  Discourses 
of  Redemption.  This  volume,  the  product  of  his  sojourn 
in  Canada,  deals  with  "the  whole  work  of  Christ  and  the 
doctrine  of  the  church."  "It  is  a  matter  of  wonder  to 
many,"  writes  Dr.  Thomas  E.  Peck,  "that  a  man  of  war 
like  Mr.  Robinson,  incessantly  battling  for  the  truth 
against  overwhelming  odds,  an  exile  from  his  country 
and  the  object  of  a  venomous  and  unrelenting  persecu- 
tion, should  be  able  to  write  a  book  like  this.  To  us 
there  is  no  wonder  in  the  case,  any  more  than  there  is  in 
Bunyan's  writing  the  Pilgrim's  Progress  in  Bedford 
jail,  in  Luther's  translating  the  Bible  in  the  Wartburg, 
or  in  Rutherford's  dictating  his  letters  in  prison-bonds 
at  Aberdeen.  The  fragrance  of  the  Saints'  Rest  is  due 
to  the  bruising  of  Baxter.  Persecution  and  exile  have 
been  'Christ's  palace'  to  our  friend.  While  we  could 
not  but  be  burdened  with  his  afflictions,  we  now  thank 
his  Master  and  ours  for  this  precious  fruit." 

Dr.  Robinson  continued  in  Louisville  the  publication 
of  his  paper  under  the  title.  The  Free  Christian  Com- 
monwealth. The  complete  independence  of  the  church  as 
a  spiritual  organization  was,  of  course,  the  principle  for 
whose  maintenance  he  contended  in  the  editorial  columns 
of  this  periodical.  Thus,  in  the  days  of  storm  and  stress 
in  Kentucky,  after  the  war,  with  pen  and  voice  he  sought 
to  help  his  brethren.  He  was  a  signer  of  the  paper 
known  as  the  Declaration  and  Testim-ony,  and  in  com- 
pany with  those  who  were  in  sympathy  with  the  prin- 
ciples set  forth  therein  he  was  thrust  out  of  the  Northern 
Presbyterian  fold  by  the  summary  act  of  the  Assembly 
of  1866.     In   1867   Dr.   Robinson  was  the  principal 


Stuart  Robinson  419 

writer  of  the  declariitlon  of  princi})les,  upon  which  as  a 
basis  of  mutual  understanding  the  Synod  of  Kentucky 
entered  into  organic  union  with  the  Southern  Presby- 
terians. Among  the  principles  thus  elaborated  by  Dr. 
Robinson  was  the  following:  That  the  Church  has  no 
commission  either  to  discharge  any  functions  of  the 
State,  or  to  direct,  advise  or  assist  the  State;  nor  has 
the  Church  any  light  in  regard  to  the  affairs  of  the  State 
M'hich  the  State  has  not  already,  *  *  *  Neither 
can  the  State  have  any  commission  from  God  to  dis- 
charge the  functions  of  the  Church.  *  *  *  Hence 
this  synod  and  its  presbyteries  have  steadfastly  pro- 
tested against  and  resisted  the  assumption  of  authority 
by  the  church  courts  to  advise,  direct  and  assist  the 
civil  government  in  its  policy  by  the  exercise  of  their 
spiritual  authority,  or  to  interpose  the  power  of  the 
spiritual  sword  for  enforcing  any  theories  of  social 
organization,  or  theories  of  labor,  or  political  theories, 
or  to  direct  men  as  citizens  in  the  choice  of  their  civil 
policy." 

In  1869,  when  delegates  from  the  Kentucky  presby- 
teries took  seats  for  the  first  time  in  the  Southern  As- 
sembly in  session  at  Mobile,  Dr.  Robinson  was  by 
acclamation  called  to  the  moderator's  chair.  In  1877, 
as  a  representative  from  the  South,  in  company  with 
Moses  D.  Hoge  and  others,  he  held  a  conspicuous  place 
in  the  Council  of  the  Presbyterian  Alliance  at  Edin- 
burgh, Scotland.  Soon  afterwards  his  unceasing  labors 
wore  away  his  strength,  and  in  October,  1881,  he  entered 
into  rest.  Dr.  Benjamin  M.  Palmer,  a  life-long  friend, 
came  from  New  Orleans  to  Louisville  to  take  part  in  the 
funeral  service  and  to  pa}'^  this  tribute  to  Dr.  Robinson : 

"He  had  a  great  heart,"  said  Dr.  Palmer ;  "a  heart 
that  throbbed  in  generous  response  to  every  cry  of  dis- 
tress, from  whatever  quarter  it  should  come.  His  broad 
sympathy  took  hold  of  human  life  at  every  point  and 
identified  him  with   all  the  great   movements   for  the 


420  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

amelioration  of  society  at  large.  It  overflowed  into  a 
thousand  tender  fellowships,  which  knit  him  to  the  hearts 
of  his  fellow-men.      *     *     * 

"God  also  gave  to  him  a  massive  intellect.  His  was  a 
mind  comprehensive  in  its  grasp  of  ultimate  principles 
which  he  could  co-ordmate  and  arrange  into  great 
systems  of  science,  philosophy  and  religion.  *  *  * 
He  was  a  man  pre-eminent  for  his  loyalty  to  the  truth. 
What  he  believed  was  wrought  into  the  very  texture  of 
his  being  and  became  part  of  the  bone  and  sinew  of  his 
entire  intellectual  and  moral  nature.  *  *  *  This 
man,  with  a  heart  as  tender  as  a  woman's,  was  ever 
found  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  brave  and  sturdy  as  a 
lion,  contending  for  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the 
saints." 

Largely  through  his  efforts  the  Southern  Presby- 
terians of  Kentucky  nurtured  the  cause  of  education 
until  a  separate  institution  under  their  oAvnership  and 
control  was  established  in  1883,  two  years  after  the 
death  of  Dr.  Robinson.  This  church  school  was  located 
at  Richmond,  Kentucky,  and  was  given  the  name  Cen- 
tral University.  A  few  years  later  a  school  of  theology 
was  organized  as  a  part  of  this  university  with  Dr.  T. 
Dwight  Witherspoon  as  the  first  teacher  of  theological 
subjects.  The  university  was  afterwards  transferred  to 
Danville  in  the  same  state  and  there  combined  with  Center 
College  under  the  title.  The  Central  University  of  Ken- 
tucky. Thus  in  promoting  the  work  of  church  edu- 
cation as  well  as  in  the  labor  connected  with  religious 
journalism  and  in  the  writing  of  books.  Dr.  Stuart 
Robinson,  the  impressive  preacher  of  the  Word,  enlarged 
the  field  of  his  service  in  our  Southern  Church. 


CHAPTER    LH. 


JOHN    NEWTON    WADDEI,. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  the  first  seven  years 
of  his  life  (1812-1819)  in  the  home  of  his  father,  Dr. 
Moses  Waddel,  at  the  Willington  Academy  in  Abbeville 
County,  South  Carolina.  In  1819  he  went  with  the 
other  members  of  his  father's  family  to  Athens,  Georgia, 
where  Dr.  Waddel  entered  into  service  as  president  of 
the  University  of  Georgia.  Young  John  N.  Waddel 
made  such  rapid  progress  in  his  studies  that  just  as  he 
was  passing  into  the  eighteenth  year  of  his  age  he  com- 
pleted the  entire  course  of  work  then  offered  in  the 
university.  He  was  especially  proficient  in  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  Latin  and  Greek  languages.  For  a  number 
of  years  after  graduation  he  was  engaged  in  the  task 
of  teaching  in  various  academies.  Nearly  thirty  years 
of  his  life  passed  away  before  he  professed  faith  as  a 
Christian.  Then,  after  spending  a  few  months  of  private 
study  in  theological  subjects,  he  appeared  before  the 
Presbyter}^  of  Mississippi  in  September,  1841,  and  was 
given  authority  to  preach  the  gospel.  In  connection  with 
the  work  of  preaching,  however,  he  continued  also  to 
teach.  Near  the  home  which  he  established  at  Montrose, 
in  the  midst  of  the  pine  forests  in  Eastern  Mississippi, 
about  sixty  miles  from  the  capital  city,  Jackson,  Waddel 
built  a  log  school-house.  In  this  he  organized  the  Mont- 
rose Academy  for  the  instruction  of  boys  after  the  model 
of  his  father's  academy  at  Willington  in  upper  South 
Carolina.  The  Montrose  school  was  located  among 
tall  pine  trees  on  the  summit  of  a  ridge-like  elevation. 
At  the  foot  of  this  hill  a  bold  spring  furnished  an  ample 

421 


422  Southern  Preshyterian  Leaders 

supply  of  water.  During  the  week  the  principal  of  the 
school  trained  the  school-lads  in  their  regular  studies. 
Then,  every  Sunday  morning,  he  used  the  school  build- 
ing as  a  church  and  preached  a  sermon  to  his  pupils  and 
to  the  people  of  the  community.  So  many  boys  came 
from  distant  localities  that  a  much  larger  log  house  was 
built  to  serve  as  school-room  and  house  of  worship.  A 
number  of  small  log  cabins  were  erected  under  the  pine 
trees  as  dwelling-places  for  some  of  the  students.  In 
that  college  in  the  forest  there  was  a  regular  prayer 
service  every  morning  and  evening,  public  worship  with 
a  sermon  every  Sunday,  and  systematic  training  in 
Latin,  Greek,  mathematics  and  the  higher  English 
branches  throughout  the  week.  For  seven  years  (1841- 
1848)  Waddel  continued  thus  to  labor  with  great 
success  in  Montrose  Academ^^,  preparing  a  large  com- 
pany of  young  men  for  efficient  service  as  elders  and  as 
preachers  in  the  Presbyterian  churches  of  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley. 

During  this  same  period,  Oakland  College,  in  West- 
ern Mississippi,  was  rising  to  the  height  of  her  success 
in  training  young  men.  This  school  was  founded  in 
1830  as  the  property  of  the  Presbyterians  of  Mississippi, 
and  was  directed  by  Dr.  Jeremiah  Chamberlain,  a  Pres- 
byterian minister,  as  president.  Many  preachers  of  the 
gospel  were  sent  forth  from  Oakland.  The  rude  hand 
of  war  left  the  college  a  wreck,  however,  and  in  1876 
the  fragments  of  the  property  were  transferred  to  the 
Chamberlain-Hunt  Academy,  under  Presbyterial  owner- 
ship and  control,  located  at  Port  Gibson,  Mississippi. 

In  the  autumn  of  1848  the  University  of  Mississippi 
was  founded  at  Oxford,  in  that  State.  The  first  presi- 
dent was  George  Frederick  Holmes,  and  the  chair  of 
mathematics  was  occupied  by  Albert  Taylor  Bledsoe. 
Both  of  these  scholars  afterwards  held  positions  in  the 
faculty  of  the  University  of  Virginia.  Dr.  John  N. 
W^addel  was  appointed  to  the  chair  of  the  Greek  and 


John  Newton  Waddel  423 

Latin  languages,  and  he  at  once,  therefore,  removed  his 
home  from  Montrose  Academy  to  the  State  University 
at  Oxford.  For  a  term  of  nine  years  he  continued  to 
teach  the  classics  in  that  school  with  uniform  success, 
at  the  same  time  preaching  the  gospel  in  various  pulpits. 
In  1857  Dr.  Waddel  accepted  the  same  chair  of  ancient 
languages  in  the  Synodical  College  at  La  Grange, 
Tennessee.  The  president  of  the  institution  was  Dr. 
John  H.  Gray,  a  son  of  Hopewell  Church,  Abbeville 
District,  South  Carolina,  In  1860,  at  the  urgent  request 
of  Dr.  Gray,  the  office  of  the  presidency  was  transferred 
to  Dr.  Waddel. 

The  cloud  of  war  was  hanging  dark  over  the  land 
when  Dr.  Waddel  assumed  the  duties  of  the  presidency 
at  La  Grange  College  in  the  autumn  of  1860.  He  stood 
at  his  post,  however,  like  a  patriot  and  a  Christian  and 
breathed  into  the  students  a  part  of  his  own  courageous 
spirit.  In  April,  1861,  the  older  members  of  the  body 
of  students  were  allowed  to  leave  the  academic  halls  in 
order  to  take  up  arms  at  the  call  of  their  country.  Dr. 
Waddel  and  Dr.  Gray,  with  two  assistants,  kept  the 
class-rooms  open  until  they  heard  the  thunder  of  heavy 
guns  almost  at  their  doors.  This  took  place  in  the  early 
part  of  1862.  Very  soon  the  Federal  soldiers  were 
encamped  in  the  town  of  La  Grange,  with  Federal  offi- 
cers holding  quarters  in  the  homes  of  the  people.  The 
soldiers  tore  down  the  walls  of  the  college,  brick  by 
brick,  and  used  them  in  the  construction  of  huts  for  their 
own  comfort.    Thus  ended  the  life  of  a  noble  institution. 

On  December  4,  1861,  Dr.  Waddel  was  present  as  a 
delegate  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Augusta,  Geor- 
gia. As  commissioner  appointed  by  the  convention  of 
presbyteries  held  at  Atlanta  in  the  previous  August,  he 
called  the  meeting  to  order  and  thus  took  the  first  formal 
step  in  organizing  the  Southern  Assembly.  He  was 
chosen  stated  clei'k  of  the  assembly  and  retained  that 
position  until  the  latter  part  of  the  war.     After  the 


424  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

closing  of  the  college  in  the  beginning  of  the  year  1862, 
he  made  a  number  of  journeys  to  various  encampments 
of  the  Confederate  forces,  offering  aid  and  comfort  to 
the  wounded  men  and  preaching  sermons  to  those  who 
were  still  ready  for  battle. 

One  morning  in  December,  1862,  at  his  home  in  La 
Grange,  Tennessee,  Dr.  Waddel  received  a  written  order, 
signed  by  the  Federal  officer  in  control  of  the  town, 
commanding  him  to  "discontinue  his  labors  as  a  minister 
of  the  gospel"  in  that  place.  This  penalty  was  laid  upon 
him  because  he  had  been  preaching  to  Conferedate  sol- 
diers. His  own  home  having  thus  become  a  place  of  im- 
prisonment, he  determined  to  escape  from  La  Grange. 
Passing,  therefore,  through  the  Federal  military  lines 
under  cover  of  night,  he  rode  rapidly  southward  until 
he  found  himself  among  friends.  Thereafter,  for  many 
months,  he  was  engaged  as  a  commissioner  under  au- 
thority of  the  Presbyterian  Assembly  directing  the 
work  of  the  chaplains  among  the  Confederate  forces  in 
Tennessee  and  Mississippi.  In  1864  he  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  chaplains  connected  with  Joseph  E.  John- 
ston's army  in  Georgia,  Throughout  that  desperate 
campaign  in  defense  of  the  lower  tier  of  Southern  states 
he  was  at  his  post,  sustaining  his  brethren  and  preaching 
the  word  to  the  soldiers.  In  September,  1864,  in  a  bat- 
tle below  Atlanta,  Dr.  WaddePs  son,  John  Gray  Wad- 
del,  a  Confederate  volunteer,  just  seventeen  years  old, 
was  slain  by  the  fragment  of  a  shell.  It  was  not  a  time 
for  the  expression  of  grief,  however,  and  the  stricken 
father  went  steadily  forward  with  his  work.  When  the 
struggle  was  over,  in  1865,  he  went  back  to  La  Grange 
to  wander  for  a  little  while  amid  the  ruins  of  the  Synodi- 
cal  College. 

Dr.  Waddel  was  always  ready  for  work,  and  in 
the  autumn  of  1865  he  was  placed  at  the  head  of 
the  University  of  Mississippi,  at  Oxford.  As  chancellor 
of  this  important  institution  from  1865  until  1874,  he 


John  Newton  Waddel  425 

rendered  great  service  to  the  people  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley.  This  was  the  period,  of  course,  of  the  direful 
revolution  forced  upon  the  South,  and  Dr.  Waddel's 
soundness  of  judgment  in  discharging  the  duties  of  his 
position  brought  the  school  through  her  difficulties  in 
safety.  He  must  be  assigned  an  honorable  place  among 
the  leaders  of  the  entire  South  during  the  days  of 
reconstruction. 

In  1874  he  laid  down  the  burden  of  executive  duties 
and  sought  to  give  his  services  more  exclusively  to  his 
church.  For  a  time,  therefore,  he  was  secretary  of  the 
cause  of  ministerial  education,  but  in  1879  he  was  called 
once  more  into  collegiate  work.  In  that  year  he  was 
appointed  chancellor  of  the  Southwestern  Presbj^terian 
University,  located  at  Clarkville,  Tennessee,  and  formed 
upon  the  basis  of  Stewart  College,  an  institution  already 
established  in  that  city.  Five  years  later  (1884)  a 
school  of  theology  was  organized  as  a  component  part 
of  the  university,  with  a  faculty  made  up  of  Drs.  John 
N.  Waddel,  John  B.  Shearer,  Robert  Price,  Joseph  R. 
Wilson  and  J.  W.  Lupton.  When  Dr.  Waddel's  health 
failed  in  1888  he  laid  aside  his  active  collegiate  duties, 
and  Dr.  Charles  C.  Hersman  was  appointed  chancellor 
of  the  university.  When  Dr.  Hersman  was  transferred 
to  Columbia  Seminary,  in  South  Carolina,  the  chan- 
cellorship was  assigned  to  Dr.  John  B.  Shearer,  who  at 
a  later  time  became  president  of  Davidson  College.  Dr. 
Waddel,  who  had  summoned  the  members  of  the  first 
Southern  'Assembly  to  be  in  order  as  a  body  of  represen- 
tatives ready  for  work,  was  himself  called,  a  short  time 
in  advance  of  the  meeting  of  this  same  Southern  As- 
sembly, in  the  year  1895,  to  enter  "the  general  assembly 
and  church  of  the  first  born  who  are  enrolled  in  heaven." 


CHAPTER    LIII. 


MOSES   DRURY   HOGE. 


At  Hampden-Sidney  College,  Virginia,  on  September 
17,  1818,  a  child  was  born,  the  eldest  son  of  Samuel 
Davies  Hoge  and  of  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Rice  Lacy.  The 
name  given  to  the  child  was  Moses  Drury,  in  honor  of 
his  grandfathers ;  one  of  these  was  Dr.  Moses  Hoge, 
then  president  of  Hampden-Sidney  College ;  the  other 
was  Drury  Lacy,  who  had  succeeded  John  Blair  Smith 
as  acting  president  of  the  college.  In  the  autumn  of 
1820  Samuel  Davies  Hoge  became  pastor  of  the  Pres- 
bj'terian  Church  at  Hillsborough,  Ohio.  In  1823  he  was 
appointed  to  the  chair  of  mathematics  in  the  University 
of  Ohio,  at  Athens,  but  his  health  rapidly  failed  and  he 
died  there  near  the  close  of  the  year  1826.  As  a 
pulpit  speaker,  we  are  told  that  he  lacked  only  voice 
and  physical  strength  to  have  become  one  of  the  first 
preachers  of  his  day. 

Until  he  reached  the  age  of  fifteen  years  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  lived  in  his  mother's  home  at  Athens,  Ohio. 
Other  members  of  the  family  circle  were  two  sisters  of 
young  Moses  Hoge  and  his  brother,  William  James 
Hoge.  Their  mother  received  boarders  in  the  home 
and  was  thus  enabled  to  keep  the  little  group  of  children 
by  her  side.  An  important  element  in  their  training 
was  the  mother's  unusual  talent  as  a  conversationalist. 

In  the  year  1834  the  3'oung  Moses  Hoge  made  the 
journey  on  horseback  from  Ohio  through  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee  into  North  Carolina.  At  Newbern,  on  the 
seacoast,  he  entered  the  home  of  his  mother's  brother, 
Dr.   Drury   Lacy,   who   was    afterwards   president   of 


426 


MOSES  DRURY  HOGE 


Facing   page  426 


Moses  Drury  Hoge  427 

Davidson  College.  In  Newbern  he  attended  a  prepara- 
tory school.  A  considerable  part  of  his  time  was  spent, 
however,  in  reading  the  books  that  he  found  in  his  uncle's 
library.  A  strong  memory  enabled  him  to  retain  for 
immediate  use,  as  long  as  he  lived,  lengthy  passages 
taken  from  these  volumes.  A  controlling  influence  that 
hedged  about  the  life  of  the  growing  lad  during  the 
period  of  his  sojourn  in  his  uncle's  home  was  the  per- 
sonal character  of  Dr.  Lacy  himself.  The  transparent 
honesty  and  sincerity  that  marked  the  life  of  that  man 
of  God  had  much  to  do  in  keeping  steady  the  nephew's 
purpose  to  spend  all  of  his  days  in  rendering  service  to 
his  fellow-men. 

In  the  fall  of  1836,  soon  after  passing  his  eighteenth 
birthday,  Moses  D.  Hoge  entered  the  junior  class  at 
Hampden-Sidney  College.  He  had  received  a  thorough 
preparation  in  the  languages ;  in  general  literature  he 
had  already  devoured  many  volumes.  The  habit  of 
ceaseless  work  was  continued  when  he  took  up  his  tasks 
as  a  college  student.  At  five  o'clock  regularly  every 
morning  he  arose,  lit  a  candle  and  opened  his  books. 
From  this  early  hour  until  ten  at  night  he  was  engaged 
in  strenuous  labors.  At  the  close  of  his  first  session, 
however,  he  realized  his  own  lack  of  proficiency  in  ele- 
mentary English  studies.  He  determined,  therefore, 
to  perfect  himself  in  these  branches  by  teaching  them. 
To  this  end  he  spent  the  entire  winter  of  1837-1838  in 
North  Carolina  in  a  log  schoolhouse  sixteen  feet  square. 
With  tireless  fidelity  he  taught  there  a  group  of  chil- 
dren, and  at  the  same  time  drilled  himself  in  the  knowl- 
edge and  use  of  his  native  form  of  speech.  During  the 
following  winter  and  spring  he  was  engaged  in  the 
studies  of  the  senior  year  at  college  and  was  graduated 
at  the  head  of  his  class.  The  commencement  then  took 
place  in  the  early  autumn.  On  September  25,  1839,  in 
the  old  church  at  Hampden-Sidney,  just  a  week  after 
passing  his  twenty-first  birthday,  Moses  D.  Hoge  de- 


428  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

livered  an  oration  in  behalf  of  his  classmates  as  their 
valedictorian. 

In  the  month  of  May,  1838,  young  Hoge  made  a 
public  profession  of  his  Christian  faith ;  he  was  enrolled 
as  a  member  of  Shiloh  Church  in  Granville  County, 
North  Carolina.  After  completing  the  senior  year  and 
securing  his  degree,  he  spent  one  session  as  tutor  in 
Hampden-Sidney  College.  Then,  in  the  autumn  of 
1840,  he  began  the  course  of  study  in  Union  Seminary 
as  a  candidate  for  the  gospel  ministry.  The  death  of 
his  mother  about  this  time  led  him  to  make  the  following 
entry  in  his  journal:  "Were  I  to  say  that  my  mother 
was  the  most  perfect  being  I  ever  knew,  the  remark 
would  be  ascribed  to  filial  partiality,  but  the  thought 
may  be  cherished  in  my  inner  sanctuary  of  the  bosom 
which  no  eye  but  that  of  God  can  penetrate." 

During  young  Hoge's  first  year  in  the  seminary.  Dr. 
George  A.  Baxter  was  giving  his  last  lectures  in  the- 
ology. The  transcendent  powers  of  that  great  teacher 
left  a  deep  impression  upon  Moses  D.  Hoge,  who,  long 
afterwards,  wrote  about  Baxter's  "pulpit  effectiveness" 
and  the  "dignity  and  impressiveness"  of  his  discourses. 
"He  had  one  unique  peculiarity,"  writes  Hoge.  "Often 
in  the  midst  of  a  logical  passage  his  cheek  would  flush, 
his  face  quiver  and  great  tears  would  flow  down  his 
manly  face.  He  was  thinking  of  some  tender  scene  in 
the  life  of  our  Lord  which  he  intended  to  depict.  Before 
he  got  to  the  place  he  was  trembling  with  emotion  at 
the  sight  of  the  dear,  sad  cross,  standing  full  in  his 
view,  in  its  mournful,  unutterable  glory,  and  then  flowed 
the  irrepressible  tears — tears  that  touched  all  hearts  and 
prepared  them  for  what  was  coming." 

Baxter  was  succeeded  by  Samuel  B.  Wilson ;  Samuel 
L.  Graham  and  Francis  S.  Sampson  were  just  then,  also, 
beginning  their  work  as  theological  instructors.  It 
seems  clear,  however,  that  the  art  of  "pulpit  effective- 
ness" which  Moses  D.  Hoge  afterwards  so  efficiently 


Moses  Drury  Hoge  429 

illustrated  was  acquired  by  him  as  he  sat  at  the  feet  of 
Dr.  Baxter.  Early  in  the  year  1844,  after  licensure 
as  a  preacher,  Moses  D.  Hoge  became  the  assistant  of 
Dr.  W.  S.  Plumer,  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  Richmond,  Virginia.  Young  Hoge,  then  in  his 
twenty-sixth  year,  brought  with  him  to  Richmond  as 
wife  and  helpmate,  Susan  Wood,  the  daughter  of  James 
D.  Wood,  whose  country  home  was  known  as  Poplar 
Hill,  in  Prince  Edward  County,  Virginia.  The  people 
of  Dr.  Plumer's  Church  in  Richmond  built  a  chapel  on 
Fifth  street,  then  in  the  western  part  of  the  city,  and 
there  the  assistant  preached  the  Word.  So  many  people 
came  regularly  to  hear  him  that  a  separate  congregation 
was  soon  organized  in  the  chapel,  and  in  February, 
1845,  Moses  D.  Hoge  was  installed  there  as  pastor  of 
the  Second  Church.  From  the  beginning  of  the  work 
in  this  field  the  second  service  each  Sunday  was  held  in 
the  afternoon,  and  thus  for  more  than  fifty  years,  as 
the  Lord's  Day  was  drawing  toward  the  twilight  hour, 
a  large  company  of  worshipers  of  every  name  and  de- 
nomination was  given  the  opportunity  to  hear  the  up- 
lifting utterances  of  the  pastor  of  the  Second  Church. 

In  1847  Dr.  Plumer  entered  upon  another  field  of 
work,  in  Baltimore,  and  Dr.  Thomas  V.  Moore  became 
pastor  of  the  First  Church,  Richmond.  The  two  Chris- 
tian shepherds,  Moore  and  Hoge,  wrought  together  in 
full  sympathy  and  fellowship.  In  1851  each  of  them 
delivered  one  of  the  lectures  in  the  series  given  at  the 
University  of  Virginia  on  the  general  subject  of  the 
Evidences  of  Christianity.  In  1855  they  purchased 
The  Watchman,  a  Presbyterian  paper  published  in 
Richmond.  The  name  of  the  weekly  periodical  was 
changed  to  Central  Presbyterian,  and  under  the  joint 
editorial  control  of  Moore  and  Hoge  it  obtained  at  once 
a  wide  influence  among  Southern  Presbyterians.  In 
1859  the  paper  passed  under  the  control  of  Dr.  William 
Brown ;  later  still,  it  became  the  property  of  Dr.  W.  T. 


430  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

Richardson,  and  then  of  Dr.  James  P.  Smith,  until  the 
title  was  changed  to  that  of  The  Preshyterian  of  the 
South. 

Early  in  the  year  1848  Moses  D.  Hoge's  new  church 
building  was  dedicated.  At  the  same  time,  in  order  to 
help  his  people  to  meet  the  heavy  financial  obligations 
thus  laid  upon  them,  he  opened  in  Richmond  a  Presby- 
terian school  for  boys.  The  double  work  imposed  upon 
the  young  pastor  by  the  church  and  the  school  seemed 
only  to  call  forth  new  strength  each  day.  He  developed 
a  remarkable  capacity  for  continuous  labor.  The  con- 
gregation was  built  up  in  strength  and  efficiency,  and 
the  pastor's  influence  was  widely  extended.  The  manage- 
ment of  the  school  was  at  length  transferred  to  others, 
and  Dr.  Hoge  gave  himself  entirely  to  the  duties  of  the 
pastorate.  A  summer  in  Europe  (1854)  broadened  his 
vision  and  enabled  him  to  do  more  effective  work  in  the 
pulpit.  Thus  he  grew  in  power,  and  when  the  shadow 
of  war  fell  upon  the  city  of  Richmond,  Dr.  Hoge  had 
become  the  leading  figure  among  the  churches  in  the 
capital  of  the  Southern  Confederacy. 

One  of  the  reasons  that  had  led  Moses  D.  Hoge's 
father  to  seek  a  field  of  labor  in  the  State  of  Ohio  was 
his  opposition  to  the  system  of  slavery  in  the  South. 
Moses  D.  Hoge,  also,  after  his  marriage,  offered  freedom 
to  the  slaves  that  came  under  his  control  as  a  portion 
of  his  wife's  estate;  only  one  of  these  slaves,  however, 
was  willing  to  accept  the  gift  of  liberty.  During  the 
discussions  of  the  year  1860,  with  reference  to  secession. 
Dr.  Hoge  was  not  in  favor  of  the  immediate  withdrawal 
of  the  Southern  States.  Soon  after  the  secession  of 
Virginia,  however,  in  April,  1861,  he  wrote  the  following : 

"With  my  whole  mind  and  heart  I  go  into  the  seces- 
sion movement.  I  think  Providence  has  devolved  on  us 
the  preservation  of  constitutional  liberty,  which  has 
already  been  trampled  under  the  foot  of  a  military 
despotism  at  the  North.     And  now  that  we  are  menaced 


Moses  Drury  Hoge  431 

with  subjugation  for  daring  to  assert  the  right  of  self- 
government,  I  consider  our  contest  as  one  wliich  involves 
principles  more  important  than  those  for  which  our 
fathers  of  the  Revolution  contended." 

With  the  opening  of  active  hostilities  Confederate 
soldiers  began  to  assemble  in  large  numbers  at  Rich- 
mond for  the  defense  of  the  Southern  capital.  The 
religious  welfare  of  these  men  engaged  at  once  the  active 
interest  of  Dr.  Hoge.  He  began  his  work  among  them 
by  preaching  in  some  of  the  military  encampments  every 
Sunday  afternoon  and  at  least  twice  during  the  week. 
At  certain  periods  of  special  activity  he  delivered  the 
gospel  message  to  the  soldiers  day  after  day  in  succes- 
sion for  many  weeks.  The  preaching  services  in  his 
own  church,  twice  on  Sunday,  with  the  mid-week  service 
for  prayer,  were  regularly  maintained.  Dr.  T.  V. 
Moore  of  the  First  Church  frequently  preached  on  Sun- 
day afternoon  from  the  pulpit  of  Dr.  Hoge  while  the 
latter  was  speaking  to  the  fighting  men  at  their  place  of 
bivouac ;  then  Dr.  Hoge  would  occupy  Dr.  Moore's  pul- 
pit in  the  evening.  This  plan  of  strenuous  work  in 
preaching  to  multitudes  of  soldiers  was  kept  up  through- 
out the  four  years  of  warfare,  with  the  exception  of  the 
period  of  ten  months  spent  in  England.  During  the 
same  long  period,  with  few  exceptions,  he  offered  prayer 
at  the  opening  of  the  daily  sessions  of  the  Confederate 
Congress  in  Richmond. 

The  work  of  preaching  to  soldiers  upon  a  scale  so 
extensive  most  probably  did  not  fall  to  the  lot  of  any 
other  minister  of  the  gospel  of  that  period.  Thousands 
and  thousands  of  the  men  from  the  South  heard  him 
as  they  paused  in  Richmond  for  a  little  while  on  their 
way  to  the  front.  As  many  as  one  hundred  thousand 
men  heard  the  gospel  from  his  lips  in  the  camp  of  in- 
struction maintained  near  Richmond  during  the  early 
years  of  the  war.  It  was  solemn  work.  Those  who 
listened  to  the  preacher's  words  one  Sunday  would  most 


432  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

likely  be  on  the  march  or  in  the  line  of  battle  on  the 
following  Sunday.  Within  one  brief  hour,  in  many 
cases,  the  minister  must  lay  his  message  upon  the  hearts 
of  men  who  were  soon  to  stand  face  to  face  with  death. 
Most  of  these  Southern  soldiers,  however,  had  come 
from  Christian  homes  and  from  church-going  communi- 
ties. Their  hearts  were  ready,  therefore,  as  good  soil 
to  receive  the  preacher's  words  of  instruction  and  of 
encouragement.  Dr.  Hoge  had  full  knowledge  of  these 
facts  about  the  training  and  early  association  of  the 
men  to  whom  he  spoke,  and  he  knew  well  how  to  present 
the  solemn  appeal,  urging  the  soldiers  as  they  entered 
the  field  of  battle  to  put  their  trust  in  the  God  of  their 
fathers.  They  always  listened  with  open  minds  and 
melting  hearts  to  the  message  which  he  delivered.  Many 
of  them  were  persuaded  by  his  preaching  to  accept  the 
Christian  faith;  many,  very  many,  who  were  believers 
already  were  strengthened  by  his  exhortations  to  stand 
like  men  in  the  hour  of  danger.  The  soldiers  who  passed 
thus  in  solemn  review  before  the  preacher  left  upon  him 
the  deep  impression  that  they  were  of  worthy  character. 
Earnestness  and  quiet  dignity  marked  the  Confederate 
soldiers  as  they  sat  before  Dr.  Hoge  during  the  hour  of 
worship ;  these  qualities,  together  with  their  conduct  on 
the  march  and  upon  the  field  of  war,  led  him  to  speak 
of  them  afterwards  as  "not  professional  soldiers,"  but 
"men  who  came  from  the  sanctities  of  home,  from  the 
peaceful  vocations  of  business  or  professional  life; 
many  of  them  merchants  or  mechanics ;  most  of  them 
farmers ;  some  of  them  students  in  schools,  colleges  and 
theological  seminaries ;  yet,  all  of  them,  every  man  of 
them,  every  boy  of  them,  at  the  sacred  call  of  duty, 
periled  all  and  for  principle  sacrificed  all,  committing 
their  souls  to  God  and  their  memories  to  us  who  might 
survive  them." 

As  time  passed  on  Dr.  Hoge's  labors  were  rapidly 
multiplied.      Six  sermons  a  week,  the  daily  prayer  in  the 


Moses  Drury  Hoge  433 

Confederate  Congress,  funerals  in  great  nutnber,  pas- 
toral visiting  and  tlie  writing  of  articles  for  the  press-^— 
these,  he  said,  formed  only  the  beginning  of  his  duties. 
Work  of  every  sort  was  laid  upon  him,  whereof  he  wrote 
as  follows :  "Many  people  seeking  office  or  employment 
come  to  me;  many  write,  asking  me  to  get  them  pass- 
ports or  do  something  for  them  in  some  of  the  depart- 
ments. *  *  *  A  discharged  soldier,  knowing  no 
one  else  in  the  city,  writes  to  me  to  get  his  pay;  a  wife, 
separated  from  her  husband,  writes,  begging  me  to  get 
her  a  permit  to  pass  through  the  lines  and  go  to  him; 
an  exile,  driven  by  the  enemy  from  his  home,  writes, 
asking  if  I  can  assist  him  in  getting  a  position  where  he 
can  make  bread  for  his  destitute  family ;  and  as  sure  as 
I  shut  myself  up  in  my  study  and  resolutely  refuse  to 
open,  no  matter  who  knocks,  then  some  one  calls  who 
ought  to  have  been  admitted." 

In  addition  to  these  activities,  there  was  the  work  of 
general  teaching  carried  on  among  the  soldiers  at  the 
camp  of  instruction.  With  reference  to  the  help  ren- 
dered him  in  that  camp  by  Rev.  Dabney  Carr  Harrison, 
a  young  Presbyterian  minister,  Dr.  Hoge  wrote  as 
follows :  "I  saw  him  almost  daily  [in  the  camp]  for 
three  months  or  more.  It  was  owing  to  his  [Harrison's] 
agency  that  a  Christian  Association  was  formed  in  the 
regiment  and  completely  organized  for  every  species  of 
usefulness.  There  was  a  Bible  class,  a  Sabbath-school, 
and  arrangements  made  even  for  teaching  those  who 
were  unable  to  read.  He  rendered  me  most  efficient  aid 
in  my  work  as  chaplain  during  his  stay  in  camp.  He 
held  prayers  every  evening  in  my  large  tent  for  several 
weeks.  He  interested  himself  in  getting  the  men  to- 
gether on  Sabbath  afternoons,  and  this  increased  the 
attendance  on  my  regular  services.  The  influence  of 
his  presence  and  example  in  the  camp  during  these 
months  will  never  be  fully  appreciated  until  the  day  of 
final  revelation." 


434  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

On  Saturday,  May  31,  1862,  Dr.  Hoge  mounted  his 
horse  and,  in  company  with  Colonel  Benjamin  S,  Ewell, 
a  brother  of  General  R.  H.  Ewell,  rode  toward  the  battle- 
field of  Seven  Pines.  The  booming  of  cannon  told  them 
that  the  fighting  was  already  in  progress.  As  they  dre»v 
near  the  field  of  action  they  met  wounded  Confederates 
making  their  way  to  the  rear;  they  saw  other  wounded 
men,  stretched  on  the  ground,  with  the  surgeons  ren- 
dering every  possible  attention ;  then  they  met  groups 
of  prisoners,  under  guard,  hurrying  toward  Richmond. 
Very  soon  the  two  horsemen  were  in  the  midst  of  the 
smoke  of  the  battle,  where  the  shells  were  screaming 
through  the  air  and  the  musket  balls  were  making  that 
peculiar  sound  which,  says  Dr.  Hoge,  "renders  their 
music  more  memorable  than  agreeable."  A  spent  bullet 
struck  Dr.  Hoge's  horse  and  "made  him  jump  around 
in  a  very  lively  style."  Soon  afterwards  he  dismounted 
and  yielded  his  horse  to  a  Confederate  soldier,  about  six- 
teen years  of  age,  who  had  received  a  severe  wound. 
Then  Dr.  Hoge  took  the  young  man's  musket  and,  walk- 
ing by  his  side,  waded  through  the  mud  and  water  for 
about  a  mile  until  an  ambulance  was  found;  in  this  the 
wounded  soldier  was  tenderly  placed. 

Near  the  close  of  the  day  fierce  firing  broke  out  near 
that  part  of  the  field  where  Dr.  Hoge  was  moving  about 
among  the  wounded  and  dying  soldiers.  The  Confed- 
erates were  driving  back  the  enemy  along  that  part  of 
the  line.  A  number  of  Confederate  regiments,  rushing 
to  the  aid  of  their  comrades,  passed  Dr.  Hoge  as  the 
latter  was  seated  on  his  horse  by  the  roadside.  "I  was 
astonished,"  he  writes,  "at  the  number  of  the  men  who 
recognized  me  with  salutations  and  exclamations :  'What, 
Mr.  Hoge,  you  here!'  Many  asked  me  how  the  battle 
was  going.  At  my  answer,  'successful  all  along  the 
line,'  they  would  cheer  and  press  on  with  a  quicker  step." 
Dr.  Hoge  followed  these  soldiers  until  he  entered  the 
entrenchments  from  which  the  Federal  forces  had  been 


Moses  Drury  Hoge  435 

driven.  There  he  found  his  personal  friend,  General 
D.  H.  Hill,  who  was  in  command  on  that  part  of  the 
field.  Turning  again  homeward.  Dr.  Hoge  saw  a  hos- 
pital near  the  roadside.  When  he  entered  the  building 
and  looked  about  in  the  dim  light,  for  it  was  now  late  at 
night,  he  saw  the  wounded  men  lying  upon  the  floor  in 
such  numbers  that  "it  was  difficult  to  walk  without  step- 
ping on  them."  Having  asked  permission  from  one  of 
the  surgeons  present,  the  minister  knelt  down  in  the 
center  of  the  room  "and  prayed  God  to  comfort  them, 
give  them  patience  under  their  sufferings,  spare  their 
lives,  bless  those  dear  to  them  and  sanctify  to  them 
their  present  trials.  To  these  petitions  some  of  them 
audibly  responded,  and  it  was  affecting  to  observe  that 
even  their  groans  were  to  a  great  degree  suppressed." 
A  few  hours  later,  at  the  regular  hour  for  worship  on 
Sunday  morning,  Dr.  Hoge  was  again  in  his  pulpit 
preaching  the  gospel  of  comfort  to  his  people. 

Three  weeks  later,  another  Sunday  morning  found 
Dr.  Hoge  riding  eastward  from  Richmond  to  the  Con- 
federate fortifications.  There,  in  full  view  of  the  pickets 
of  the  Federal  army,  he  preached  to  the  Georgia  troops 
forming  the  commands  of  Generals  Howell  Cobb  and 
Thomas  R.  R.  Cobb.  "After  service,"  he  writes,  "we 
dined  in  camp.  The  day  was  very  hot ;  the  ride  to  and 
from  town  was  over  twelve  miles,  and  I  got  back  just 
in  time  to  get  to  Camp  Lee  for  my  afternoon  discourse. 
There  I  had  a  larger  congregation,  for  two  regiments 
had  just  come  in."  Two  days  later,  in  spite  of  fatigue, 
he  was  again  among  the  men  in  the  lines  of  defense  at 
the  headquarters  of  General  D.  H.  Hill  and  General 
Garland.  After  the  battles  of  the  Seven  Days,  Dr.  Hoge 
entered  into  a  close  personal  friendship  with  Stonewall 
Jackson  and  preached  frequently  among  the  men  under 
Jackson's  command.  In  brief  it  may  be  said  that  few 
of  the  brigades  of  General  Lee's  entire  army  failed  to 
hear  the  preaching  of  the  Richmond  minister.     With 


436  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

Lee  himself  and  with  most  of  the  officers  of  his  military 
family,  and  with  President  Davis  and  the  members  of 
his  cabinet,  Dr.  Hoge  lived  on  terms  of  cordial 
friendship. 

One  dark,  stormy  night  near  the  end  of  the  month  of 
December,  1862,  Dr.  Hoge  stood  upon  the  deck  of  a 
steamship  known  as  a  "blockade-runner"  that  was  mov- 
ing out  of  the  harbor  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina, 
toward  the  open  sea.  Thirteen  Federal  warships,  with 
guns  ready  to  fire,  were  stationed  near  the  outer  edge 
of  the  harbor  to  keep  any  Confederate  vessel  from  pass- 
ing out  into  the  Atlantic.  The  captain  of  the  Confed- 
erate steamer  had  orders  to  sink  or  to  burn  his  ship 
rather  than  surrender  her.  Dr.  Hoge,  however,  was 
ready  to  face  every  danger,  for  he  was  on  his  way  to 
England  to  secure  Bibles  and  religious  tracts  for  the 
soldiers  in  the  Confederate  service.  "Our  run  through 
the  blockading  squadron  was  glorious,"  he  wrote  after- 
wards. "I  was  in  one  of  the  severest  and  bloodiest 
battles  [Seven  Pines]  fought  near  Richmond,  but  it 
was  not  more  exciting  than  that  midnight  adventure, 
when  amid  lowering  clouds  and  dashes  of  rain,  and  just 
wind  enough  to  get  up  sufl^cient  commotion  in  the  sea  to 
drown  the  noise  of  our  paddle-wheels,  we  darted  along 
with  lights  all  extinguished,  and  not  even  a  cigar  burning 
on  the  deck,  until  we  got  safely  out  and  free  from  the 
Federal  fleet."  Sailing  by  the  way  of  Nassau  to 
Havana,  Cuba,  he  embarked  upon  an  English  steamer 
for  Southampton,  England.  Soon  after  arriving  in 
London  Dr.  Hoge  made  an  effective  address  before  the 
Board  of  Managers  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society,  with  Lord  Shaftesbury  in  the  chair.  These 
Englishmen  listened  with  sj^mpathetic  ears  while  he  told 
of  the  inability  of  the  Southern  people  to  print  an  ade- 
quate number  of  volumes  of  religious  literature  "because 
all  the  industrial  energies  of  the  Confederacy  were  de- 
voted to  the  great  work  of  self-defense."     He  gave  an 


Moses  Drury  Hoge  437 

account  of  "the  heroic  manner  in  which  our  people  had 
borne  all  the  hardships  and  bereavements  of  the  war ;  of 
their  inflexible  determination  to  succeed ;  of  the  religious 
character  of  our  leading  generals ;  of  the  eagerness  of 
the  soldiers  to  obtain  copies  of  the  Holy  Scriptures." 
All  that  Dr.  Hoge  asked  was  permission  to  buy  a  sup- 
ply of  books  on  credit,  but  the  Bible  Society,  after  hear- 
ing his  address,  immediately  made  him  a  gift  of  their 
publications  to  the  value  of  about  twenty  thousand 
dollars.  This  meant  ten  thousand  Bibles,  fifty  thousand 
Testaments  and  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  small 
volumes  containing  the  Psalms  and  the  Gospels.  The 
latter  had  glazed  covers,  with  rounded  corners,  "just 
the  thing  to  put  in  the  pocket  of  a  soldier."  Other  socie- 
ties in  London  listened  to  Dr.  Hoge's  story  of  the 
struggles  of  the  Confederates,  and  these  societies  with 
a  large  number  of  individual  friends  made  additional 
contributions  of  Bibles  and  tracts,  "for  the  use  of  my 
countrymen,"  he  writes,  "so  nobly  battling  in  the  sacred 
cause  of  liberty  and  independence."  A  special  series 
of  tracts  with  the  Confederate  battle  flag  on  the  cover 
was  issued  in  London  for  the  use  of  the  Southern  sol- 
diers. All  of  these  Bibles  and  smaller  books  were 
shipped  in  blockade-runners,  and  while  some  were  cap- 
tured by  Federal  vessels,  the  principal  part  of  them 
made  the  voyage  in  safety  and  were  distributed  through- 
out the  armies  of  the  South. 

Dr.  Hoge  won  the  permanent  friendship  of  many 
influential  people  in  London,  among  whom  were  Lord 
Shaftesbury  and  Thomas  Carlyle.  He  was  invited  to 
visit  a  number  of  English  homes,  but  even  in  the  midst 
of  the  hospitalities  there  bestowed  upon  him,  he  never 
forgot  the  privations  of  his  own  people  in  the  Confed- 
erate States.  "I  feel  the  war  here,"  he  wrote,  "more 
than  I  did  at  home,  for  there  I  could  at  least  share  in 
the  privations  of  my  own  people,  and  could  do  something 
to  cheer  and  encourage  those  whose  circumstances  were 


438  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

inferior  to  my  own.  On  this  account  I  am  impatient  to 
get  back,  though  were  not  our  country  invaded  I  would 
remain  here  three  months  longer."  The  news  of  the 
death  of  Stonewall  Jackson  was  a  heavy  blow  to  Dr. 
Hoge.  This  was  followed  by  the  intelligence  that  his 
own  first-born  son  had  died  in  the  home  in  Richmond. 
Severe  as  was  such  discipline,  his  faith  failed  not,  but 
was  the  rather  made  stronger.  "I  pray  to  be  prepared 
by  it,"  he  wrote,  "to  be  a  comfort  to  my  suffering  people 
when  I  return  home;  prepared  to  strengthen  them,  and 
to  be  strong  myself  for  all  the  trials  we  may  yet  undergo 
before  our  independence  is  won." 

On  Sunday  morning,  October  11,  1863,  Dr.  Hoge 
again  stood  upon  the  deck  of  a  blockade-runner,  the 
swift  steamer  Advance.  The  vessel  was  making  her  way 
from  Bermuda  toAvard  one  of  the  mouths  of  the  Cape 
Fear  River,  near  Wilmington,  North  Carolina.  A  fleet 
of  Federal  warships  was  lying  at  anchor  just  outside 
the  bar,  guarding  the  entrance  to  the  stream.  Through 
this  fleet  the  Advance  must  pass  if  she  would  And  safety 
in  the  shallow  waters  of  the  Cape  Fear.  The  runner 
sailed  in  with  such  boldness  that  she  had  nearly  passed 
the  blockading  line  before  the  Federal  captains  recog- 
nized her  as  the  Advance.  Anchors  were  raised  at  once 
and  the  Federal  vessels  started  in  pursuit,  at  the  same 
time  opening  fire  with  their  heavy  guns.  The  big  shells 
flew  all  about  the  steamer,  but  she  held  her  way  at  full 
speed  until  the  fire  of  the  Confederate  cannon  in  Fort 
Fisher  compelled  the  Federal  warships  to  give  up  the 
pursuit.  Then  the  seamen  and  the  passengers  all  met 
together  on  deck  and  stood  with  bowed  heads  beneath 
the  sky,  while  Dr.  Hoge  returned  thanks  to  God  for  their 
deliverance  from  capture. 

In  the  summer  of  1864  another  burden  of  sorrow  was 
laid  upon  him  by  the  death  of  his  brother.  Dr.  William 
J.  Hoge.  Soon  after  the  war  began  the  latter  had  given 
up  his  pastorate  in  New  York  city  and  had  entered  upon 


Moses  Drury  Hoge  439 

ministerial  work  in  the  South,  at  the  first  in  Charlottes- 
ville and  then  in  the  Tabb  Street  Church  in  Petersburg, 
Virginia.  From  his  successful  labors  among  the  people  of 
the  latter  city  and  among  the  Confederate  soldiers,  a  fatal 
malady  suddenly  removed  him.  The  Federal  army  was 
then  throwing  heavy  shells  into  every  part  of  the  city  of 
Petersburg  and  the  funeral  services  could  not  be  held 
there.  Setting  forth,  therefore,  in  an  ambulance  at  the 
close  of  the  day,  Dr.  Hoge  transferred  his  brother's 
body  by  night  through  the  country  from  Petersburg  to 
Richmond.  "It  was  a  lonely  ride,"  he  writes,  "through 
the  dim  woods  and  along  the  intricate  roads  as  I  lay 
stretched  on  the  straw  alongside  the  body  of  my  dead 
brother;  and  I  had  full  leisure  to  contemplate  the  great- 
ness of  my  loss.  We  reached  Richmond  as  day  was 
breaking."  There  the  last  tender  rites  were  solemnized 
by  Dr.  T.  V.  Moore  and  Dr.  John  Leyburn. 

To  the  A'ery  end  of  the  great  conflict  Dr.  Hoge  con- 
tinued with  increasing  power  to  preach  the  gospel  to 
the  Confederate  soldiers.  To  the  very  end  he  was  full 
of  hope  that  success  would  crown  Southern  arms  in  the 
war  which  he  called  the  South's  "struggle  for  civil  and 
religious  freedom."  When  defeat  came  he  was  over- 
whelmed with  grief.  He  left  Richmond  in  company  with 
President  Davis  and  his  cabinet  and  did  not  return  to 
his  home  until  the  last  hope  of  the  Confederacy  had 
failed.  "I  forgot  my  humiliation  for  a  while  in  sleep," 
he  wrote  in  May,  1865,  "but  the  memory  of  every  be- 
reavement comes  back  heavily  like  a  sullen  sea  surge,  on 
awakening,  flooding  and  submerging  my  soul  with 
anguish.  The  idolized  expectation  of  a  separate  nation- 
ality, of  a  social  life  and  literature  and  civilization  of 
our  own,  together  with  a  gospel  guarded  against  the 
contamination  of  New  England  infidelity,  all  this  has 
perished,  and  I  feel  like  a  shipwrecked  mariner.    *    *    * 

"I  hope  my  grief  is  manly.  I  have  no  disposition  to 
indulge  in  querulous  complaints.    God's  dark  providence 


440  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

enwraps  me  like  a  pall ;  I  cannot  comprehend,  but  I  will 
not  charge  him  foolishly;  I  cannot  explain,  but  I  will 
not  murmur. 

"To  me  it  seems  that  our  overthrow  is  the  worst 
thing  that  could  have  happened  for  the  South — the 
worst  thing  that  could  have  happened  for  the  North, 
and  for  the  cause  of  constitutional  freedom  and  of 
religion  on  this  continent.  But  the  Lord  hath  prepared 
His  throne  in  the  heavens  and  his  kingdom  ruleth  over 
all.  I  await  the  development  of  his  providence,  and  I 
am  thankful  that  I  can  implicitly  believe  that  the  end 
will  show  that  all  has  been  ordered  in  wisdom  and  love. 
Though  He  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  Him."  A  few  weeks 
later  he  wrote  to  a  friend  that  "other  seas  will  give  up 
their  dead,  but  my  hopes  went  dovm  into  one  from  which 
there  is  no  resurrection." 

In  the  pulpit,  however,  he  never  faltered  in  the  work 
of  unfolding  the  hope  of  life  eternal  as  that  hope  is 
written  in  the  pages  of  the  divine  Book.  Multitudes, 
stricken  with  the  same  sorrow  that  filled  his  soul,  came 
to  his  church  to  find  peace  in  listening  to  the  words  of 
hope  and  consolation  that  fell  from  his  lips.  "I  have 
been  working  hard,"  he  wrote  in  February,  1866;  "I 
am  stimulated  to  make  more  careful  preparation  than 
usual  for  my  Sunday  services  because  of  the  crowds 
which  throng  my  church.  In  the  afternoon,  especially, 
the  people  come  long  before  the  hour  and  many  have 
to  go  away  becaluse  they  cannot  find  standing  or  sitting 
room.  *  *  *  The  most  animated  and  cheerful  day 
we  have  is  Sunday,  when  people  seem  to  forget  their 
troubles  for  a  while  and  crowd  the  churches,  seeking 
for  solace  there."  Thus  gradually  he  became  the 
spiritual  guide  and  counsellor  of  a  large  proportion  of 
the  people  of  the  South,  leading  them  out  of  the  shadows 
into  the  light  and  speaking  words  of  encouragement  to 
the  men  and  women  who  were  busy  with  the  task  of  build- 
ing up  again  their  church  and  their  country. 


Moses  Drury  Hoge  441 

Near  the  close  of  the  year  1868  Dr.  Hoge's  beloved 
wife  was  called  away  from  the  earthly  home.  Thus  were 
his  earlier  sorrows  multiplied  and,  thenceforth,  through- 
out a  period  of  thirty  years,  he  was  to  continue  his  pil- 
grimage alone.  Sorrow  and  discipline,  however,  in  his 
behalf  wrought  out  their  perfect  work  and  gave  him 
strength  and  serenity  of  spirit.  Unto  great  multitudes 
at  home  and  abroad  he  became  as  one  sent  from  God  to 
bring  the  message  of  heavenly  comfort.  His  principal 
work  during  these  years  was  the  preaching  of  the  gospel 
from  his  own  pulpit  in  Richmond,  and  this  preaching 
was  always  marked  by  simplicity  and  power.  The 
church  building  was  enlarged  to  its  present  proportions 
to  accommodate  the  growing  number  of  people  that  came 
to  hear  him.  Other  pulpits  in  every  part  of  our  country 
were  opened  to  him,  and  in  this  manner  his  gracious 
ministry  was  extended.  He  delivered  addresses  of  vari- 
ous kinds  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic,  and  he  was  per- 
sonally identified  with  many  public  movements  of  a 
religious  and  benevolent  character.  The  marvelous 
activities  of  this  man  of  God  throughout  the  period 
from  1869  to  1899  cannot  be  touched  upon  here  except 
in  the  form  of  brief  suggestion. 

When  a  group  of  Englishmen  gave  to  the  State  of 
Virginia  a  bronze  statue  of  Stonewall  Jackson,  Dr.  Hoge 
was  selected  to  deliver  the  oration  at  the  time  of  the 
unveiling  of  the  monument.  "Here  on  this  Capitoline 
Hill,"  he  said,  in  part,  "on  this  26th  day  of  October, 
18T5,  and  in  the  one  hundredth  year  of  the  Common- 
wealth of  Virginia,  in  sight  of  that  historic  river  that 
more  than  two  centuries  and  a  half  ago  bore  on  its  bosom 
the  bark  freighted  with  the  civilization  of  the  North 
American  Continent,  under  the  shadow  of  that  capitol 
whose  foundations  were  laid  before  the  present  Federal 
Constitution  was  framed  *  *  we  have  met  to  in- 
augurate a  new  pantheon  to  the  glory  of  our  common 
mother.      *      *      «     wTq  come  to  honor  the  memory  of 


442  Southern  Freshyterian  Leaders 

one  who  was  the  impersonation  of  our  Confederate 
cause,  and  whose  genius  illuminated  the  great  contest 
which  has  recently  ended."  Beginning  thus  he  proceeded 
to  speak  of  the  character  of  Jackson ;  of  "the  admirable 
commingling  of  strength  and  tenderness  in  his  nature ;" 
of  his  "supreme  devotion  to  duty ;"  of  his  sincerity  and 
purity  "as  a  servant  of  the  Most  High  God."  It  was 
Jackson's  piety,  said  the  speaker,  that  gave  "consecra- 
tion to  the  sacrifice  when  he  laid  down  his  life  on  the  altar 
of  his  country's  liberties."  In  this  vein  of  loyalty  to  the 
cause  of  the  Confederacy  Dr.  Hoge  continued  through- 
out his  discourse,  impressing  all  who  heard  him  on  that 
occasion,  said  General  D.  H.  Hill,  as  "the  most  eloquent 
orator  on  this  continent." 

In  May,  1875,  Dr.  Hoge  was  made  moderator  of  the 
Southern  Assembly  in  session  at  St.  Louis.  At  that 
time  and  afterwards  he  advocated  the  establishment  of 
closer  "fraternal  relations"  with  the  Northern  Presby- 
terians, although  he  was  not  in  favor  of  organic  union 
with  them.  He  also  urged  the  appointment  of  delegates 
to  represent  the  Southern  Church  in  the  Council  of  the 
Presbyterian  Alliance.  Our  church,  he  declared,  ought 
to  "come  into  line  and  take  her  legitimate  place  in  the 
great  family  gathering  of  the  Presbyterian  churches  of 
the  world."  In  1877,  therefore,  delegates  were  sent  to 
Edinburgh  to  take  part  in  the  Council  that  met  there 
in  the  month  of  June.  Among  the  delegates  was  Dr. 
Hoge,  with  Drs.  William  Brown,  William  S.  Plumer, 
Stuart  Robinson  and  others.  Dr.  Hoge  made  an  address 
in  the  evening  of  the  first  day's  session  in  Edinburgh. 
An  observer  wrote  that  as  the  Virginia  preacher  stepped 
upon  the  platform,  "a  tall,  spare,  muscular  man,  of  a 
military  type  of  physique,  his  manner  was  almost  pain- 
fully deliberate.  Commencing  with  a  graceful  compli- 
ment to  the  chairman,  admirable  in  its  spirit  and  perfect 
in  its  manner,  he  dallied  for  a  while  with  his  subject  in  a 
lively  and  almost  gay  humor,  and  then  mingling  pathos 


Moses  Drury  Hoge  443 

with  humor  with  the  happiest  ease,  he  set  forth  with 
dignity  and  breadth  not  inconsistent  with  great  intensity 
and  emotional  excitement  the  leading  points  of  his  many- 
sided  subject — the  simplicity  and  scriptural  character 
of  Presbyterianism." 

In  the  spring  of  1880  he  made  a  journey  through 
Palestine.  In  1881  he  made  an  address  in  Dr.  John 
Hall's  church,  New  York  City,  in  connection  with  a 
memorial  service  in  honor  of  President  Garfield.  His 
words  on  that  occasion  constituted  "a  remarkable  dis- 
course," said  one  of  the  city  papers,  ''which  for  ability, 
eloquence  and  pathos  has  seldom  been  equaled  in  New 
York."  In  1884,  while  traveling  in  Europe,  Dr.  Hoge 
went  to  Copenhagen  to  hear  the  discussion  in  the  Evan- 
gelical Alliance  which  was  holding  its  sessions  in  that 
city.  He  was  not  a  delegate,  but  one  evening  he  was 
pressed  into  service  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  the  list  of  speak- 
ers. With  only  fifteen  minutes  to  collect  his  thoughts, 
he  spoke  on  the  subject  of  Family  Religion.  The  ad- 
dress thrilled  the  hearts  of  the  audience;  he  spoke  with 
marvelous  power,  telling  of  the  memories  of  his  own  life 
and  home.  The  month  of  July,  1888,  found  him  once 
more  in  London,  this  time  as  a  delegate  to  the  Council 
of  the  Presbyterian  Alliance.  During  the  sessions  of 
that  body  he  preached  in  a  number  of  liOndon  pulpits. 
In  December,  1889,  he  was  in  Boston,  making  a  great 
address  in  Tremont  Temple  in  connection  with  the  ses- 
sions of  the  Evangelical  Alliance.  On  May  30.  1893, 
at  the  reinterment  of  President  Davis  in  the  city  of  Rich- 
mond, he  offered  a  prayer  wherein  God's  blessing  was 
invoked  in  behalf  of  the  people  of  the  South,  "too  brave 
ever  to  murmur  and  too  loyal  to  the  memories  of  the 
past  ever  to  forget."  The  month  of  June,  1896,  marked 
his  presence  in  Glasgow  in  attendance  at  the  sessions  of 
the  Presbyterian  Alliance.  Although  he  was  noAv  in  his 
seventy-eighth  year.  Dr.  Hoge  made  an  address  at  the 
Council    marked   by   strength   and   animation.      A   few 


4i4t4i  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

weeks  later,  in  London,  he  was  receiving  social  attentions 
on  every  hand  from  many  of  the  great  and  worthy  men 
of  England.  Then  in  May,  1897,  he  appeared  in  Char- 
lotte, North  Carolina,  as  a  member  of  the  Southern 
Assembly,  at  the  same  time  delivering  one  of  the  ad- 
dresses in  connection  with  the  f250th  anniversary  of  the 
Westminster  Assembly.  Dr.  Robert  L.  Dabney,  as  we 
have  already  seen,  likewise  made  one  of  the  Westminster 
addresses  and  was  present  in  this  assembly  as  a  delegate. 
Thus  these  two  great  leaders,  a  few  months  before  their 
translation,  appeared  together  for  the  last  time  on  earth 
in  the  highest  court  of  our  church. 

Hundreds  of  addresses  and  sermons,  besides  those 
mentioned  above,  were  delivered  in  every  part  of  our 
country  by  Dr.  Hoge.  He  went  about  everywhere 
preaching  the  Word  of  God  with  power.  "It  was  a 
glorious,  soul-lifting  sermon,"  wrote  one  who  heard  him 
in  London ;  "the  power,  pathos,  pleading  and  spirituality 
of  that  address  I  have  never  heard  surpassed.  No  notes, 
too !  All  free,  direct,  natural.  He  is  our  Spurgeon, 
Parker  and  Liddon  in  one." 

Two  anniversary  celebrations  were  held  in  Dr.  Hoge's 
church  in  Richmond,  wherein  those  who  loved  and  hon- 
ored him  spoke  words  of  just  commendation  concerning 
his  work.  One  night,  early  in  1890,  upon  the  comple- 
tion of  his  forty-fifth  year  as  pastor  of  the  Second 
Church,  a  great  company  of  Richmond  people  assembled 
in  the  largest  hall  in  the  city  to  express  their  apprecia- 
tion of  him.  Speakers  representing  various  denomi- 
nations told  the  story  of  his  successful  labors.  "Few 
men  in  the  country,  few  men  in  the  world,"  said  Bishop 
Wilson  of  the  Methodist  Church,  "have  been  able  to 
affect  personally  such  multitudes  as  the  pastor  of  this 
church." 

The  fiftieth  anniversary  was  celebrated  in  February, 
1895.  An  entire  evening  was  taken  up  with  the  cere- 
monies of  a  public  reception,  when  nearly  every  organ- 


Moses  Drury  Hoge  445 

ization  in  the  city  of  Richmond,  religious,  social  and 
military,  and  thousands  of  individuals,  offered  personal 
congratulations  to  him  whom  they  called  "the  first  citizen 
of  Virginia."  Then,  on  the  next  evening,  a  great  multi- 
tude assembled  in  the  church,  and  there  from  his  own 
pulpit  Dr.  Hoge  delivered  a  notable  discourse  filled  with 
the  memories  of  fifty  years.  Thus  was  celebrated  that 
which  Dr.  Hoge  termed  his  "golden  wedding."  Three 
more  anniversaries  were  granted  to  him.  Then,  near  the 
close  of  the  year  1898,  there  was  an  accident  in  connec- 
tion with  a  street  car.  A  few  weeks  of  suffering  fol- 
lowed; throughout  this  period  his  faith  shone  with  in- 
creasing radiance.  Early  on  the  morning  of  January 
6,  1899,  he  entered  into  the  heavenly  home  to  be  num- 
bered with  the  saints  in  glory  everlasting. 


CHAPTER    LIV. 

STONEWALL  JACKSON,  D.  H.  HILL  AND  THOMAS  R.  K.   COBB 
AS   REPRESENTATIVES   OF   SOUTHERN   PRESBYTE- 
RIAN   ELDERS    AND    DEACONS. 

"And  what  shall  I  more  say?  for  the  time  will  fail  me 
if  I  tell"  the  full  story  of  Stonewall  Jackson,  Daniel 
Harvey  Hill,  Thomas  R.  R.  Cobb  and  other  mem- 
bers of  that  great  company  of  deacons  and  elders 
of  our  own  time  who  through  faith  wrought  with  might 
in  behalf  of  the  upbuilding  of  our  Southern  Church. 
And  yet,  there  must  be  placed  in  this  record  a  few  brief 
words  concerning  some  of  those  men  of  God  who  walked 
in  advance  with  Thornwell,  Dabney,  Palmer,  Hoge  and 
the  other  leaders  during  the  period  of  the  war  and  the 
Reconstruction  in  the  South. 

Thomas  J.  Jackson,  born  in  1824,  was  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent  and  spent  his  early  years  in  the  midst  of  a 
Scotch-Irish  community,  near  Clarksburg,  in  the  present 
State  of  West  Virginia.  It  was  not,  however,  until  he 
had  passed  through  the  Military  Academy  at  West  Point 
and  had  won  distinction  as  the  commander  of  a  battery 
of  heavy  guns  upon  several  of  the  fields  of  battle  in 
Mexico  that  he  announced  his  acceptance  of  the  Christian 
faith.  In  1849,  when  he  had  entered  his  twenty-sixth 
year,  he  received  the  rite  of  Christian  baptism.  Two 
years  later,  in  November,  1851,  he  became  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Lexington,  Virginia,  and 
two  years  later  still,  in  1853,  he  married  Eleanor  Jun- 
kin,  daughter  of  Dr.  George  Junkin,  president  of  Wash- 
ington College.  Although  Major  Jackson's  work  as 
professor  of  natural  philosophy  was  in  connection  with 


STONEWALL  JACKSON 


Facing  page  446 


Stonewall  Jackson  447 

the  Virginia  Military  Institute  in  Lexington,  yet  his 
home  life  for  a  number  of  3'ear.s  was  spent  as  a  member 
of  the  family  of  his  wife's  father,  Dr.  Junkin,  within  the 
same  town.  This  minister  of  the  gospel,  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent,  was  then  presiding  over  the  foremost  Presbyte- 
rian church  college  in  the  South,  the  school  founded  be- 
fore the  American  Revolution  by  the  Hanover  Presby- 
tery, as  we  have  already  seen,  and  guided  in  its  develop- 
ment by  those  wise,  strong  preachers,  William  Graham, 
George  Addison  Baxter  and  Henry  Ruffner.  As  was 
most  fitting,  therefore,  in  the  case  of  a  leader  connected 
with  the  Presbyterian  system  of  education.  President 
Junkin's  household  was  regulated  after  the  manner  of 
the  typical  Presbyterian  homes  of  that  time,  with  the 
Word  of  God  in  daily  use  as  the  guide  of  faith  and  prac- 
tice. The  atmosphere  of  that  godly  home  became  one 
of  the  most  important  factors  in  the  development  of  the 
character  of  Major  Jackson.  The  earnest  Christian 
faith  of  his  wife  was  the  model  in  harmony  with  which 
his  own  religious  convictions  were  gradually  moulded. 
At  the  time  of  his  marriage,  his  regard  for  the  sanctity 
of  the  Lord's  Day  was  somewhat  careless.  Within  a 
brief  period,  however,  his  wife  led  him  to  accept  her  own 
strict  Biblical  rules  of  conduct  with  reference  to  Sunday 
observance,  and  these  he  continued  to  put  into  practice 
as  long  as  he  lived.  Her  early  death  broke  up,  in  a 
measure,  the  habit  of  silence  that  had  marked  his  con- 
duct, and  thenceforth  his  conversation  was  more  fre- 
quently concerned  with  spiritual  affairs. 

In  1857,  Major  Jackson  won  as  his  second  wife,  Mary 
Anna  ]\Iorrison,  daughter  of  Dr.  Robert  H.  Morrison, 
first  president  of  Davidson  College.  The  marriage 
ceremony  was  performed  by  Dr.  Drury  Lacy,  who  was 
at  that  time  president  of  Davidson  College.  A  few 
months  after  this  marriage,  INIajor  Jackson  committed 
to  memory  the  Shorter  Catechism,  and  his  wife  filled  the 
position  of  teacher  while  he  recited  it.     Thus  was  his 


448  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

training  in  spiritual  affairs  carried  forward  by  a  godly 
woman  whose  early  life  had  been  spent  in  connection 
with  one  of  the  most  important  Presbyterian  schools  of 
the  South.  The  gracious  influence  of  that  childlike 
Christian  faith  in  which  she  had  been  trained  within  her 
father's  liome  helped  to  form  the  moral  and  spiritual 
nature  of  her  husband.  These  two  together,  Major 
Jackson  and  his  wife,  conducted  a  Sunday-school  every 
Sunday  afternoon  for  many  years  for  the  benefit  of  the 
negro  children  of  the  community.  Moreover,  Major 
Jackson  became  a  deacon  in  the  church,  and  under  the 
wise  instruction  and  encouragement  of  Dr.  William  S. 
White,  pastor  in  Lexington,  gradually  learned  how  to 
discharge  the  duties  belonging  to  that  office.  When 
Major  Jackson  was  afterwards  revealed  to  the  world 
as  the  great  military  genius,  Stonewall  Jackson,  it  was 
at  the  same  time  made  clear  to  all  who  knew  him  that  he 
was  a  man  of  faith  and  of  prayer.  His  nature  was 
saturated  with  the  Biblical  idea  of  life.  He  had  an 
intense  sense  of  God's  presence  with  him.  In  every  inci- 
dent of  life  he  saw  the  visible  finger  of  God,  and  every 
victory  that  he  won  was  ascribed  to  Providence.  He 
maintained  during  his  campaigns  in  the  field,  as  far  as 
possible,  the  personal  habits  of  the  head  of  a  Christian 
household.  Every  morning  and  evening  with  strict 
regularity  he  held  a  brief  prayer  service  in  his  tent, 
which  the  members  of  his  staff  were  invited  to  attend. 
On  Sunday,  whenever  possible,  public  worship  was  held 
at  his  headquarters  and  a  sermon  was  preached  by  some 
minister  of  the  gospel.  There  were  frequent  prayer- 
meetings  during  the  week  among  the  regiments  under 
his  command.  From  time  to  time,  also,  the  sacrament 
of  the  Lord's  Supper  was  celebrated  and  all  of  the 
Christians  in  his  army  were  invited  to  participate.  On 
such  occasions  he  always  took  his  place  among  the  rank 
and  file  of  the  soldiers,  in  the  most  quiet  way,  presenting 
himself  as  a  worshiper  upon  the  same  plane  with  the  rest 


Stonewall  Jackson  449 

of  his  Christian  brethren.  In  addition  to  all  this,  we  have 
seen  how  he  aided  his  chaplain,  Rev.  Beverley  T.  Lacy, 
in  conducting  an  evangelistic  campaign  throughout  the 
Confederate  army  in  Virginia  in  the  winter  of  1862-63. 
It  was  his  chief  desire,  he  often  said,  to  command  a 
"converted  army,"  a  body  made  up  entirely  of  Christian 
soldiers. 

Christian  leadership  in  a  form  so  admirable  as  that 
of  Stonewall  Jackson  was  due  in  a  measure,  of  course, 
to  the  native  vigor  of  the  man,  and  it  was  rendered  con- 
spicuous by  the  position  which  he  held  as  commander 
of  a  large  military  force  and  by  the  brilliant  victories 
which  he  won  in  the  field.  But  when  he  wrote  to  his 
wife  that  "Our  Lord  has  again  thrown  His  shield  over 
me,"  or  when  he  invited  his  entire  army  to  render 
"thanks  to  the  Most  High  for  the  victories  with  which 
He  has  crowned  our  arms,"  he  was  only  giving  ex- 
pression to  religious  sentiments  that  filled  the  minds  and 
hearts  of  a  great  multitude  of  officers  and  private  sol- 
diers in  the  Southern  armies.  He  stands,  moreover,  as  a 
worthy  representative  of  that  type  of  training  in  the 
study  of  the  Word  of  God,  in  prayer  and  in  vital  godli- 
ness that  marked  the  home  life  of  the  Presbyterian  peo- 
ple of  the  South.  Thousands  ol  men,  with  a  Christian 
faith  as  sincere  and  strong  as  that  of  Stonewall  Jackson, 
entered  the  armies  of  the  South  in  1861 ;  many  of  them 
yielded  up  their  lives  upon  the  field  of  battle;  many  of 
them  came  through  the  strenuous  period  of  war  to  show 
their  qualities  as  leaders  in  these  later  days.  Let  Jack- 
son's life  as  a  man  and  a  soldier,  therefore,  stand  before 
the  world  as  an  example  of  that  simple  piety  and  god-like 
faith  that  were  brought  to  maturity  in  the  great  major- 
ity of  the  homes  among  the  people  of  the  South. 

Christian  faith  as  strong  and  clear  as  that  of  Stone- 
wall Jackson  dwelt  also  in  the  heart  of  another  soldier 
of  the  South,  General  Daniel  Harvey  Hill.  His  parents 
were  both  of  Scotch-Irish  descent  and  he  spent  his  early 


450  Southern  Freshyterian  Leaders 

years  within  the  limits  of  Bethel  Presbyterian  congre- 
gation in  York  District,  South  Carolina.  We  have  al- 
ready seen  the  grandfather,  Colonel  William  Hill,  as  he 
rode  by  the  side  of  General  Thomas  Sumter  in  tlie 
desperate  campaigns  of  the  upper  part  of  South  Caro- 
lina during  the  American  Revolution.  After  the  close 
of  that  struggle  Colonel  Hill  became  an  influential  leader 
among  the  body  of  lawmakers  chosen  by  the  people  of 
South  Carolma.  Colonel  Hill's  grandson,  young  Daniel 
Harvey  Hill,  was  trained  by  his  mother  "who  was  noted 
for  her  piety,  culture  and  common  sense."  The  strict 
habits  of  life  that  were  maintained  in  every  Presbyterian 
household  in  the  South  were  followed  in  that  simple 
home  in  which  the  Widow  Hill  moulded  the  character  of 
her  children,  for  her  husband  died  when  the  son,  Harvey, 
was  only  four  years  of  age.  She  drilled  them  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  Bible  and  the  Catechism  and  exacted 
from  each  member  of  her  household  the  most  rigid 
observance  of  the  Lord's  Day.  Daniel  Harvey  Hill 
passed  through  the  course  of  study  in  the  Military 
Academy  at  West  Point,  and  afterwards  won  many  pro- 
motions for  gallant  conduct  during  the  Mexican  war. 
General  Joseph  E.  Johnston  tells  us  that  some  of  the 
officers  of  the  regular  service  were  in  the  habit  of  saying 
that  D.  H.  Hill  was  "the  bravest  man  in  the  army"  in 
Mexico.  His  native  State  gave  him  a  sword  as  a  testi- 
monial of  honorable  service  in  that  conflict. 

After  the  Mexican  war  Major  D.  H.  Hill  became  the 
teacher  of  mathematics  in  the  Presbyterian  school  at 
Lexington,  Virginia,  that  is,  Washington  College,  which 
was  at  that  time,  as  we  have  just  seen,  under  the  presi- 
dency of  Dr.  George  Junkin.  A  word  of  advice  and 
suggestion  offered  by  Major  Hill  led  to  the  establishment 
of  Major  Thomas  J.  Jackson  in  a  teacher's  chair  in  the 
same  town.  Afterwards,  Hill  accepted  the  chair  of 
mathematics  in  Davidson  College,  North  Carolina. 
Major  Hill's  marriage  with  Isabella  Morrison,  eldest 


Daniel  Harvey  Hill  451 

daughter  of  President  Robert  H.  Morrison,  made 
stronger  the  bonds  of  friendship  with  Major  Jackson, 
for  the  latter,  as  wc  know  already,  also  found  a  wife 
among  the  worthy  daughters  of  the  Morrison  home. 

As  a  representative,  therefore,  of  two  Southern  Pres- 
byterian colleges  and  of  the  Presbyterian  homes  of  his 
mother  and  his  wife,  Daniel  Harvey  Hill  entered  the 
field  of  war  in  1861.  He  was  then  just  forty  years  of 
age  and  was  in  command  of  the  First  Regiment  of  North 
Carolina  Volunteers,  many  of  whose  officers  and  private 
soldiers  possessed  a  religious  faith  equal  to  his  own.  In 
June,  1861,  he  gained  the  first  battle  of  the  war  at 
Bethel  Church,  near  Yorktown,  in  Virginia.  Hill's  calm 
courage  as  he  moved  about  in  the  midst  of  the  hail  of 
rifle  balls  inspired  his  men  to  rush  forward  and  win  the 
victory.  When  the  battle  was  over  Hill  wrote  to  his 
wife  as  follows :  "I  have  to  thank  God  for  a  great  and 
decided  victory  and  that  I  escaped  with  a  slight  con- 
tusion on  the  knee.  *  *  *  It  is  a  little  singular 
that  my  first  battle  in  this  war  should  be  at  Bethel  [the 
name  of  the  church]  where  I  was  baptized  and  worshiped 
till  I  was  sixteen  years  old,  the  church  of  my  mother. 
Was  she  not  a  guardian  spirit  in  the  battle,  averting 
ball  and  shell.''  Oh,  God,  give  me  gratitude  to  Thee, 
and  may  we  never  dishonor  Thee  by  weak  faith !"  At 
a  later  time  he  wrote  to  his  wife,  "Pray  for  me  that  I 
may  be  well.  *  *  *  We  are  in  the  hands  of  God  and 
as  safe  on  the  battlefield  as  anywhere  else.  We  will  be 
exposed  to  a  heavy  fire,  but  the  arm  of  God  is  mightier 
than  the  artillery  of  the  enemy." 

Some  of  the  fiercest  fighting  known  in  the  annals  of 
warfare  took  place  again  and  again  along  that  part  of 
the  line  of  battle  of  which  General  D.  H.  Hill  was  in 
command.  Upon  many  a  field  of  carnage  men  looked  in 
amazement  to  see  the  iron  nerve  that  marked  him  as  he 
stood  in  the  place  of  danger.  When  he  rode  forward  in 
the  midst  of  the  rush  and  roar  of  battle,  it  was  marvelous 


452  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

to  witness  the  calm,  quiet  courage  of  the  man.  Many  of 
those  who  knew  him  often  said  that  no  other  soldier  as 
courageous  as  D.  H.  Hill  had  thus  far  been  seen  among 
men.  His  courage,  of  course,  formed  an  important  part 
of  that  skill  in  leadership  which  won  high  rank  for  him 
as  a  commander.  But  the  courage  itself  came  to  him 
in  part  through  inheritance  and  through  contact  with 
the  sublime  faith  of  his  Presbyterian  mother  in  the 
humble  home  among  the  fields  of  South  Carolina.  But  it 
was  strengthened  by  the  habit  of  constant  prayer,  for, 
day  and  night,  he  was  pleading  with  the  Father  to  save 
the  souls  of  his  men  and  to  spare  their  lives  in  the  hour 
of  conflict.  For  this  was  the  faith  of  General  D.  H.  Hill 
that  in  battle  Almighty  God  "directs  the  course  of  every 
deadly  missile  with  the  same  unerring  certainty"  that 
marks  His  guidance  of  the  planets  in  their  orbits. 

After  the  war  General  Hill  gave  himself  to  the  work 
of  teaching  and  to  journalism.  As  a  member  of  the 
body  of  elders  of  the  First  Church,  Charlotte,  North 
Carolina,  he  was  one  of  the  bulwarks  of  our  Southern 
Presbyterianism.  As  a  man  of  lofty  ideals,  of  wide 
sympathies  and  tenderness  of  manner,  possessed  of 
humor  and  great  patience  and  supreme  trust  in  the 
wisdom  and  mercy  of  God — as  thus  endowed  he  continued 
to  be  a  worthy  leader  among  his  people  in  the  dark  days 
of  the  period  of  reconstruction. 

Another  hero  of  the  faith  was  Thomas  R.  R.  Cobb,  a 
ruling  elder  of  the  church  in  Athens,  Georgia.  The  regu- 
lar prayer-meeting  service  in  that  congregation  was 
maintained  with  success  for  many  years  through  the  effi- 
cient help  of  this  consecrated  leader.  When  the  war  be- 
tween North  and  South  called  him  into  the  field  he  made 
rapid  advancement  as  an  officer  hy  reason  of  his  courage 
and  his  ability.  At  the  same  time  he  won  the  love  and  re- 
spect of  the  men  of  his  command,  for  they  knew  General 
Cobb  as  a  true  soldier  and  a  true  Christian.  During  the 
campaigns  he  spent  much  time  in  secret  prayer.     On 


Thomas  R.  R.  Cobb  453 

December  13,  1863,  at  Fredericksburg,  Virginia,  he  fell 
at  the  head  of  his  brigade  of  Georgia  riflemen  in  the  hour 
of  victory  near  the  foot  of  Marje's  Heights.  To  his 
brother  the  following  message  was  sent  by  the  Confed- 
erate commander-in-chief.  General  R.  E.  Lee.  "Your 
noble  and  gallant  brother,"  wrote  Lee,  "has  met  a  sol- 
dier's death,  and  God  grant  that  this  army  and  our 
country  may  never  be  called  upon  again  to  mourn  so 
great  a  sacrifice.  Of  his  merits,  his  lofty  intellect,  his 
genius,  his  accomplishments,  his  professional  fame,  and, 
above  all,  his  true  Christian  character,  I  need  not  speak 
to  you,  who  knew  him  so  intimately  and  well.  But  as  a 
patriot  and  soldier  his  death  has  left  a  gap  in  the  army 
which  his  military  aptitude  and  skill  render  it  hard  to  fill. 
In  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg  he  won  an  immortal  name 
for  himself  and  his  brigade.  Hour  after  hour  he  held 
his  position  in  front  of  our  batteries,  while  division  after 
division  of  the  enemy  was  hurled  against  him.  He 
announced  the  determination  of  himself  and  his  men 
never  to  leave  their  post  until  the  enemy  was  beaten 
back,  and  with  unshaken  courage  and  fortitude  he  kept 
his  promise.  May  God  give  consolation  to  his  afflicted 
family,  and  may  the  statesman  and  soldier  be  cherished 
as  a  bright  example  and  holy  remembrance." 


CHAPTER    LV. 

SOME   PRESBYTERIAN   LEADERS   OF    OUR   OWN   TIME. 

In  the  same  sacred  remembrance  with  the  heroes  of 
the  faith  of  the  earlier  days,  our  Southern  people  should 
hold  the  names  of  many  of  the  elders  and  ministers  Avho 
have  played  well  their  part  as  leaders  in  our  own  time. 
First  among  these  let  us  name  a  beloved  instructor,  that 
godly  teaching  elder,  Thomas  E.  Peck.  "He  was  so 
strong  in  his  convictions,  so  unswerving  in  fidelity  to 
truth,  so  powerful  in  his  humility  before  God  to  prevail 
in  prayer,  so  wise  and  considerate  in  counsel,  that  he 
always  seemed  a  strong  staff  on  which  to  lean  in  a  time 
of  trouble  and  of  peril  to  the  church."  These  words 
were  sent  by  Benjamin  M.  Palmer  as  a  message  of  com- 
fort to  Dr.  Peck's  mother.  "It  was  a  glory  to  you  to  be 
the  mother  of  such  a  son,"  continued  Dr.  Palmer ;  "your 
grateful  heart  must  often  have  burst  into  song  as 
through  the  years  you  traced  his  noble  career.  *  *  * 
He  has  gone  a  little  before  you  into  the  presence  of  the 
King  where  it  will  be  his  glory  to  introduce  the  mother 
whose  earlier  piety  had  so  much  to  do  with  moulding 
his  own." 

This  moulding  of  the  character  of  Thomas  E.  Peck 
was  the  work  that  marked  the  earlier  years  which 
were  spent  in  the  home  of  his  widowed  mother  in  the 
city  of  his  birth,  Columbia,  South  Carolina.  At  her  feet 
he  was  drilled  in  the  principles  of  the  Calvinistic  system 
of  religion.  This  course  of  training  was  continued  by 
that  prince  among  teachers.  Dr.  James  H.  Thornwell. 
Under  the  latter's  personal  guidance  young  Peck  re- 
ceived instruction   in   the  doctrines   of  the   Bible.     As 

454 


Thomas  E.  Peck  455 

Thornwell's  theological  disciple  he  began  to  preach  the 
gospel.  His  chief  work  in  the  pulpit  was  carried  on 
for  a  number  of  years  in  the  city  of  Baltimore.  In  1860, 
when  he  was  in  his  thirty-ninth  year,  Dr.  Peck  began 
his  career  as  a  teacher,  at  first  in  the  chair  of  church 
history,  and  afterward  as  Dr.  Dabney's  successor  in 
the  chair  of  theology  in  Union  Seminary,  Virginia. 
Thirty-three  years  was  the  length  of  the  period  of 
service  granted  to  him  in  the  exalted  work  of  training 
young  men  for  the  gospel  ministry.  "As  an  expositor 
of  truth,"  writes  Dr.  C.  R.  Vaughan,  "as  an  exegete  of 
Scripture,  as  a  philosophic  student  of  history,  he  [Dr. 
Peck]  was  probably  without  a  rival  in  his  day."  "The 
power  of  analysis,"  continues  Dr.  Vaughan,  "was  the 
leading  quality  of  his  mind;  inflexible  integrity  was 
the  principal  mark  of  his  character.  He  would  do  what 
he  thought  was  right,  no  matter  if  he  stood  alone  against 
overwhelming  odds." 

Within  the  same  theological  school,  Union  Seminary, 
during  the  period  under  consideration,  other  men  of 
God  bore  faithful  testimony  as  teachers  and  preachers 
of  the  Word.  Dr.  Benjamin  M.  Smith  added  to  his 
skill  as  an  instructor,  the  administrative  faculties  of  the 
financier.  Dr.  James  Fair  Latimer,  who,  in  the  period 
of  youth  carried  a  rifle  as  a  private  in  a  South  Carolina 
regiment  and  afterwards  won  the  honors  bestowed  upon 
scholarship  in  a  German  university,  rendered  worthy 
service  as  a  learned  teacher  in  the  department  of  church 
history  in  Union  Seminary.  Dr.  Henry  C.  Alexander 
spent  here  among  an  entire  generation  of  ministerial 
students  the  years  that  had  become  rich  with  the  fruits 
of  study.  He  was  able  to  claim  as  a  personal  possession 
wide  tracts  in  the  domain  of  human  learning.  From  a 
heart  that  was  a  very  fountain  of  sympathy  he  taught 
men  how  to  enrich  their  lives  by  adding  courtesy  to 
brotherly  kindness,  and  he  wore  always  without  reproach 
the  double  title  of  Christian  and  gentleman. 


456  Southern  Freshyterian  Leaders 

At  Columbia  Seminary  the  previous  high  standards 
in  Biblical  scholarship,  skill  in  the  art  of  teaching  and 
power  in  preaching  the  Word,  were  maintained  during 
these  years  by  such  ministers  as  William  Swan  Plumer, 
James  Woodrow,  Joseph  R.  Wilson,  John  B.  Adger, 
James  D.  Tadlock,  Francis  R.  Beattie  and  John  L. 
Girardeau. 

In  like  manner  the  work  in  the  Southwestern  Presby- 
terian University  at  Clarksville,  Tennessee,  was  main- 
tained by  such  consecrated  scholars  as  John  N.  Waddel, 
Robert  A.  Price  and  William  A.  Alexander,  the  latter 
known  to  all  Presbyterians  in  recent  years  as  the  keeper 
of  the  records  of  the  Southern  General  Assembly. 

T.  Dwight  Witherspoon,  who  carried  a  musket  as  a 
private  soldier  in  a  Confederate  regiment  and,  whenever 
the  opportunity  presented  itself,  preached  the  gospel 
to  his  fellow-soldiers  during  the  campaigns  of  the  war, 
gave  the  later  years  of  his  career  to  the  work  of  founding 
the  theological  department  of  the  Central  University  in 
Kentuck3\  William  G.  Neville,  of  the  younger  genera- 
tion of  faithful  witnesses,  wrought  with  power  and  suc- 
cess during  the  brief  years  wherein  he  was  president  of 
the  Presbyterian  College  of  South  Carolina. 

Dr.  C.  A.  Stillman,  true  and  faithful  witness,  was 
placed  in  control  of  the  institute  for  the  training  of 
colored  ministers  within  our  territory.  This  school  was 
located  at  Tuscaloosa,  Alabama,  by  our  General  Assem- 
bly in  1876,  and  afterwards  called  Stillman  Institute 
in  honor  of  its  founder.  God's  blessing  has  been  poured 
out  upon  the  work  of  this  school.  Worthy  preachers 
of  the  negro  race  have  been  made  ready  here  for  suc- 
cessful work.  Not  the  least  worthy  among  these  colored 
ministers  is  William  H.  Sheppard,  missionary  in  the 
Congo  region  in  Africa. 

Dr.  John  N.  Craig  as  secretary  labored  with  great 
zeal  in  behalf  of  Plome  Missions  for  a  period  of  seven- 
teen years   (1883-1900),  and  then  fell,  like  a  soldier. 


Some  Recent  Leaders  457 

upon  the  field.  He  suddenly  breathed  his  last  in  the 
church  at  Newport  News  during  the  delivery  of  an 
address  to  the  Synod  of  Virginia.  The  prostrate  form 
of  the  man  of  God  seemed  even  in  death,  writes  Dr.  P. 
H.  Gwinn,  to  be  "appealing  for  a  more  hearty,  united 
and  harmonious  support  of  the  greatest  cause  of  the 
church." 

Many  worthy  ministers  from  our  Southern  Church 
have  gone  across  the  seas  to  bear  testimony  among 
heathen  people  in  many  lands.  Among  those  who  were 
marked  for  wisdom  and  courage,  these  names  may  be 
set  down  in  this  record:  John  Dabney,  John  Boyle  and 
Edward  Lane,  in  Brazil ;  J.  G.  Hall,  in  Mexico  and 
Cuba;  Samuel  Lapsley,  in  Africa;  William  M.  Junkin, 
in  Korea ;  D.  C.  Rankin,  wise  manager  of  our  missionary 
enterprises,  who  died  during  a  toilsome  journey  in  be- 
half of  foreign  missions  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  Korea; 
James  E.  Bear  and  Hampden  C.  DuBose,  in  China.  Dr. 
DuBose  was  a  native  of  the  eastern  part  of  South  Caro- 
lina and  began  his  early  life  by  serving  as  a  soldier 
throughout  the  Confederate  war.  In  1872  he  went  from 
Columbia  Seminary  to  Soochow,  China,  and  in  that  city 
he  continued  to  proclaim  the  good  news  of  salvation 
until  his  death  in  1910.  He  wrought  also  with  his  pen 
in  furnishing  religious  literature  to  the  Chinese.  More- 
over, he  became  president  of  the  Chinese  Anti-Opium 
League  and  wrought  with  such  marked  success  that 
when  his  life  closed  the  effort  to  suppress  the  opium 
habit  and  the  opium  traffic  "is  the  strongest  movement 
in  China."  A  traveler  who  has  made  close  observations 
in  the  East  tells  us  that  "this  daring  and  chivalrous 
soldier  [DuBose]  of  a  great  ideal  lived  to  see  the  ap- 
proach of  the  consummation  of  the  noblest  ministry  a 
white  man  ever  rendered  China." 

Within  the  limits  of  the  period  of  fifty  years  since  the 
organization  of  the  independent  Southern  Assembly, 
many  shepherds  have  served  as  guardians  of  the  flocks. 


458  Southern  Presbyterian  Leaders 

and  the  work  of  these  shepherds  lives  after  them.  Among 
the  wise  leaders  in  the  Synod  of  Texas  were  Robert  L. 
Dabney  and  R.  K.  Smoot,  who  laid  the  foundations  of 
the  Austin  Theological  Seminary ;  Angus  Johnson  and 
Josephus  Johnson  were  among  the  ministers  Avho  ren- 
dered efficient  help.  In  Arkansas  lived  and  labored  T. 
R.  Welch  and  Isaac  Jasper  Long;  in  Missouri,  R.  G. 
Brank  and  R.  P.  Farris ;  in  Louisiana,  as  coworkers 
with  Benjamin  M,  Palmer,  were  Thomas  R.  Markham,  J. 
H.  Nail  and  R.  Q.  Mallard;  in  Mississippi,  James  A. 
Lyon ;  in  Alabama,  J.  H.  Bryson,  J.  M.  P.  Otts,  John  W. 
Pratt  and  Neander  M.  Woods  ;  in  Georgia,  John  S.  Wil- 
son, Donald  Fraser,  I.  S.  K.  Axson,  Groves  H.  Cartledge, 
James  Turner  Leftwich.  grandson  of  the  godly  James 
Turner  of  Bedford,  Virginia,  George  T.  Goetchius, 
Nathan  Hoyt,  "valiant  for  Gospel  truth,"  for  thirty- 
six  years  pastor  of  the  church  in  the  city  of  Athens, 
Georgia,  and  E.  H.  Barnett,  third  sergeant  in  the  mili- 
tary company  of  students  from  Hampden-Sidney  Col- 
lege in  1861,  and  in  Atlanta  after  the  war  the  faithful 
messenger  of  the  gospel  of  peace ;  in  South  Carolina,  J. 
H.  Thornwell,  worthy  son  of  the  illustrious  leader  of  that 
name ;  Donald  McQueen,  James  B.  Dunwody,  Robert  A. 
Fair,  James  Douglass,  J.  H.  Douglass,  N.  W.  Edmunds, 
R.  H.  Reid,  William  States  Lee,  Albert  A.  Morse,  J.  Wil- 
liam Flinn  and  G.  R.  Brackett ;  in  Tennessee,  James  D. 
Tadlock  and  Ferdinand  Jacobs ;  in  Kentucky,  W.  F.  V. 
Bartlett,  L.  G.  Barbour,  F.  B.  Converse,  S.  B.  Mc- 
Pheeters,  John  S.  Grasty  and  J.  V.  Logan ;  in  North 
Carolina,  Joseph  M.  Atkinson,  John  Douglas,  John  A. 
Preston,  Jethro  Rumple,  Robert  E.  Caldwell  and  Arnold 
W.  Miller,  whom  Benjamin  M.  Palmer  described  as  "a 
mighty  champion  for  the  truth  of  God,"  and  Charles 
Phillips  of  Davidson  College  and  the  University  of 
North  Carolina ;  in  Maryland,  W.  U.  Murkland,  J.  A. 
Lefevre  and  J.  J.  Bullock;  in  Virginia,  Thomas  Verner 
Moore,  William  Henry  Foote,  W.  T.  Richardson,  Her- 


Some  Recent  Leaders  459 

bert  H.  Hawes,  D.  K.  McFarland,  J.  K.  Hazen,  E.  D. 
Washburn,  Edward  P.  Palmer,  Jere  Witherspoon,  John 
Leyburn,  George  W.  Finley,  D.  C.  Irwin,  Charles  H. 
Read,  William  S.  Lacy,  J.  A.  Waddell,  A.  R.  Cocke, 
William  S.  White,  George  W.  White,  Daniel  Blain, 
Charles  White,  Theodorick  Pryor,  W.  V.  Wilson,  I.  W. 
K.  Handy,  S.  Taylor  Martin,  Alexander  Martin,  Samuel 
J.  Baird,  John  L.  Kirkpatrick,  William  Brown,  William 
A.  Campbell,  William  Dinwiddie,  Joseph  Stiles,  J.  G. 
Shepperson,  D.  W.  Shanks,  John  M.  P.  Atkinson, 
Thomas  L.  Preston,  George  D.  Armstrong,  and  George 
W.  Finley. 

And  what  was  the  measure  of  spiritual  power  among 
these  witnesses  of  our  own  time?  If  the  inquiry  be  con- 
cerned with  the  matter  of  personal  faith,  let  the  testimony 
of  Dr.  Thomas  L.  Preston  and  Dr.  G.  R.  Brackett  make 
reply  on  behalf  of  all.  These  servants  of  God  were 
made  to  walk  in  the  pathway  of  physical  suffering,  and 
then  before  their  years  had  been  far  advanced,  both 
were  removed  from  the  field  of  labor.  By  a  godly  walk 
they  taught  their  people  how  the  Christian  ought  to 
live;  in  like  manner,  through  a  ready  obedience  to  the 
Master's  summons,  they  taught  us  how  the  servant  of 
God  should  die.  The  cross  in  each  case  was  borne  with 
marvelous  patience,  and  each  said  at  the  close  of  life 
that  to  die  means  only  that  "the  child  of  God  passes 
from  one  room  to  another  in  the  Father's  house."  If 
the  question  be  raised  with  reference  to  human  learning 
as  the  hand-maiden  of  religion,  let  Dr.  George  D.  Arm- 
strong and  Dr.  Charles  Phillips  stand  in  this  respect 
as  types  of  our  Southern  ministers.  If  success  in  adding 
strength  to  the  church  through  efficiency  in  the  pulpit 
be  considered,  let  Dr.  W.  U.  INIurkland,  Dr.  A.  W. 
Miller  and  Dr.  E.  H.  Barnett  represent  their  brethren 
in  the  pastorate.  If  administrative  powers  in  church 
affairs  be  sought,  let  Dr.  William  A.  Campbell  and  Dr. 
Jethro  Rumple  teach  all  ministers  everywhere  how  to 


460  Southern  Preshyterian  Leaders 

show  practical  wisdom  in  the  management  of  educational 
and  evangelistic  work.  If  inquiry  be  pressed  whether 
the  pulpit  in  these  later  days  is  declining  in  power  and 
efficiency,  let  the  answer  be  found  in  the  life  and  the 
work  of  Dr.  Samuel  Macon  Smith.  The  first  teacher  of 
this  prince  among  the  men  of  the  pulpit  was  his  own 
father,  Dr.  Jacob  Henry  Smith.  Years  of  close  study 
fitted  him  for  the  principal  work  of  his  career,  the  pas- 
torate of  the  church  in  Columbia,  South  Carolina,  from 
the  autumn  of  1899  until  the  early  days  of  the  year 
1910.  Here  was  a  man  of  strength,  true  and  genuine 
in  every  part  of  his  nature.  "In  him  were  mingled," 
writes  Dr.  W.  M.  McPheeters,  "insight,  understanding, 
the  salt  of  wit,  the  grace  of  humor,  sympathy  and  gen- 
uine humility."  Rare  skill  in  the  reading  of  the  Scrip- 
ture lesson,  and  prayers  that  sought  out  the  hidden 
secrets  of  the  heart  and  pleaded  for  mercy  upon 
human  infirmities — these  made  his  hearers  ready  to 
pay  heed  to  the  sermon.  The  latter  was  always  based 
upon  some  passage  of  Scripture  as  it  appeared  in 
the  original  Hebrew  or  Greek,  for  the  Hebrew  Bible 
and  the  Greek  New  Testament  were  Dr.  Smith's  constant 
companions  and  he  knew  how  to  use  them  with  telling 
effect  as  few  ministers  have  ever  been  able  to  use  them 
in  pulpit  work.  And  then  from  rich  storehouses,  made 
ready  through  theological  study  and  through  wide 
ranging  in  literary  fields,  he  drew  material  for  the  dis- 
course, adding  thereto  matters  of  personal  experience, 
a  touch  of  humor,  a  passage  of  graphic  description  and 
a  word  of  passionate  appeal.  He  spoke  with  authority, 
for  the  reason  that  his  scholarship  was  genuine  and  that 
it  was  used  merely  as  an  agency  in  bringing  God's 
message  of  rebuke  or  comfort  to  the  hearts  of  the 
people. 

"And  these  all,"  ministers  of  the  Word,  together  with 
many  deacons  and  elders  and  a  great  multitude  of  godly 
women,  the  worthies  of  our  Southern  Church,  "having 


Some  Recent  Leaders  461 

had  witness  borne  to  them  through  their  faith,"  received 
the  promises.  From  their  character  and  from  their 
labors,  as  types  of  the  people  of  whom  they  formed  a 
part,  all  men  everywhere  may  learn  to  understand  the 
piety  and  the  integrity  and  the  intelligence  that  have 
through  many  generations  found  a  home  among  the 
people  of  the  South. 


PRINCIPAL  SOURCES 

A  list  of  the  principal  sources  of  information,  both  printed 
and  in  manuscript  form,  used  in  the  preparation  of  Southern 
Presbyterian  Leaders  is  herewith  presented.  This  is  not  given, 
however,  as  an  exhaustive  bibliography,  nor  even  as  a  complete 
list  of  all  the  sources  consulted  in  the  preparation  of  this 
volume. 

BIOGRAPHIES. 

Alexandee,  Abchibaij),  Sketches  of  the  Founder  and  the  Prin- 
cipal Alumni  of  the  Log  College.    Princeton,  1845. 

AxEXANuEB,  Henky  C,  Life  of  J.  Addison  Alexander.     2  vols. 
New  York,  1870. 

Alexander,  James  W.,  Life  of  Archibald  Alexander.    New  York, 
1854. 

Baker,  William  M.,  Life  and  Labors  of  Daniel  Baker.    Phila- 
delphia, 1859. 

Babnes,  Albert,  Essay  on  the  Life  and   Times  of  Pre.rident 
Davies.    New  York,  1851. 

Baxter,  Louisa,  A  Brief  Biographieal  Sketch  of  Ocorge  Addison 
Baxter,  by  his  daughter.    Unprinted  manuscript. 

Bowen,  L.  p..  The  Days  of  Makemie.    Philadelphia,  1885. 

Cabbuthees,  E.  W.,  The  Life  and  Character  of  David  Caldwell, 
Greensborough,  N.  C,  1842. 

Dabney,  Robebt  L.,  The  Life  and  Campaigns  of  Lieutenant-Gcn- 
eral  Thomas  J.  Jackson.     New  York,  1866. 

FooTE,  William  Henry,  Sketches  of  'North  Carolina,  Historical 
and  Biographical.     New  York,  184G. 

FooTE,  William   Henry,  Sketches  of  Virginia,  Historical  and 
Biographical.    Philadelphia,  1849. 
• Second  series.     Philadelphia,  1855. 

FoBD,  H.  p..  Chronological  Outline  of  the  Life  of  Francis  Make- 
mie.    Philadelphia,  1910. 

GiLMOBE,   James   Robebts,   John  Sevier  as   a  Commonicealth- 
Builder.    New  York,  1887. 

Graham,  James,  The  Life  of  General  Daniel  Morgan.     New 
York,  1856. 

Gubley,  R.  R.,  Life  and  Eloquence  of  Sylvester  Lamed.    New 
York,  1844. 

Habland,  Mabion,  Autobiography.    New  Y'ork,  1910. 

Headley,  J.  T.,  The  Chaplains  and  Clergy  of  the  American  Revo- 
lution.   New  York,  1864. 

463 


464  Principal  Sources 

Henry,  William  Wirt,  Life,  Correspondence  and  Speeches  of 
Patrick  Henry.    3  vols.    New  York,  1891. 

HoGE,  Peyton  H.,  Life  and  Letters  of  Moses  Drury  Hoge.  Rich- 
mond, 1899. 

Jackson,  Mrs.  M.  A.,  Life  and  Letters  of  Stonewall  Jackson,  by 
iiis  wife.    New  York,  1894. 

JAMES,  W.  D.,  Life  of  Francis  Marion.    Charleston,  1821. 

Johnson,  Thomas  Gary,  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  L.  Dabney. 
Richmond,  1903. 

,  Life  and  Letters  of  Benjamin  Morgan  Palmer.  Rich- 
mond, 1906. 

KoLLocK,  S.  K.,  Biography  of  the  Rev.  Henry  Kollock.  Savan- 
nah, 1822. 

Moore,  M.  A.,  Life  of  General  Edicard  Lacey.    1854. 

Palmer,  Benjamin  M.,  Life  and  Letters  of  James  Henley 
Thornwell.     Richmond,  1875. 

Parton,  James,  Life  of  Andrew  Jackson.  3  vols.  New  York, 
18(30. 

Randall,  Henry  S.,  Life  of  Thomas  Jefferson.  3  vols.  New 
York,  1888. 

Rives,  William  C,  Jr.,  Life  and  Times  of  James  Madison.  3 
vols.    Boston,  1859. 

Sprague,  W.  B.,  Annals  of  the  American  Pulpit;  or  Commem- 
oration Notices  of  Distinguished  American  Clergymen. 
Vols.  III.  and  IV.,  The  Presbyterian  Pulpit.  New  York, 
1859  and  18G9. 

White,  Henry  Alexander,  Robert  E.  Lee  and  the  Southern 
Confederacy.    New  York,  1897. 

,  Life  of  Stonewall  Jackson.    Philadelphia,  1909. 

White,  Henry  M.,  Life  and  Times  of  William  8.  White.  Rich- 
mond, 1891. 

CHURCH    HISTORIES. 

Bbiggs,  Charles  AtJGUSTUs,  American  Presbyterian  ism.  With 
an  Appendix  of  Letters  and  Documents.    New  York,  1885. 

Calderwood,  David,  A  History  of  the  Church  of  Scotland  (to 
1625).    8  vols.    Edinburgh,  1842-1849. 

Davidson,  Robert,  History  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
State  of  Kentucky.    New  York,  1847. 

GiLLETT,  Ezra  Hall,  History  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
United  States  of  America.    Revised.     Philadelphia,  1873. 

Glasgow,  W.  M.,  History  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church 
in  America.     Baltimore,  1888. 

Hays,  George  P.,  Presbyterians :  A  Popular  Narrative  of  Their 
Origin,  Progress,  Doctrines  and  Achievements.  New  York, 
1892. 


Principal  Sources  465 

Hill,  William,  A  History  of  the  Rise,  Pror/ress  and  Character 
of  American  Prcshytcrianisin.    Washington,  1839. 

Hodge,  Chakles,  The  Constitutional  History  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  United  States  of  America.  Parts  I.  and  II. 
Philadelphia,  1839-1840. 

Howe,  George,  History  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  South 
Carolina.    2  vols.    Columbia,  1870  and  1883. 

Johnson,  Thomas  Cart,  History  of  the  Southern  Presbyterian 
Church.  Part  of  Vol.  XI.,  in  American  Church  Series.  New 
York,  1894. 

KiLLEN,  William  D.,  Ecclesiastical  History  of  Ireland.  2  vols. 
London,  1875. 

Latham,  Robert,  History  of  the  Associate  Reformed  Synod  of 
the  South.    Harrisburg,  1882. 

Reed,  Richard  C,  History  of  the  Presbyterian  Churches  of  the 
World.     Philadelphia,  1906. 

Reid,  James  S.,  A  History  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Ire- 
land. New  (third)  edition,  with  notes  by  W.  D.  Killen. 
3  vols.    Belfast,  18G7. 

Nevin,  Alfred,  Encyclopedia  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
United  States  of  America,  Including  the  Northern  and 
Southern  Assemblies.    Philadelphia,  1884. 

Smith,  Joseph,  Old  Redstone;  or,  Histcn-ical  Sketches  of  West- 
ern Presbyterian  ism.     Philadelphia,  1854. 

Thompson,  Robert  E.,  A  History  of  the  Presbyterian  Churchfs 
in  the  United  States.  Vol.  VI.  in  the  American  Church  His- 
tory Series.    New  York,  1895. 

Webster,  Richard,  A  History  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
America  from  Its  Origin  Until  the  Year  1760.  Philadelphia, 
1858. 

Wodrow,  Robert,  The  History  of  the  Sufferings  of  the  Church 
of  Scotland  from  the  Restoration  to  the  Revolution.  4  vols. 
Glasgow,  1841. 

COLLECTED   WORKS. 

Dabney,  Robert  L.,  Theology.  Third  edition.  Asbury  Park, 
188.5. 

,  Discussions.  Edited  by  C.  R.  Vaughan.  3  vols.  Rich- 
mond, 1890-1892. 

Peck,  Thomas  E.,  Eeclcsiology.  Edited  by  T.  C.  Johnson. 
Richmond,  1882. 

,  Miscellanies.  Edited  by  T.  C.  Johnson.  3  vols.  Rich- 
mond, 1895. 

Smyth,  Thomas,  Collected  Works.    10  vols.    Columbia,  1910. 

Thornwell,  James  H.,  Collected  Writings.  Edited  by  John  B. 
Adger.    4  vols.    Richmond,  1871-1873. 


466  Principal  Sources 

GENERAL    HISTORIES. 

Various  Standard  Histories  of  the  United  States,  including  the 
works  of  Bancroft,  Fiske,  McMaster,  Rhodes  and  others. 

HISTORICAL  COLLECTIONS. 

Colonial  Records  of  North  Carolina.    Edited  by  W.  L.  Saunders. 

10  vols.    Raleigh,  18SG-1890. 
Georgia  Historical  Society,  Collectimifi.    Savannah,  1840. 
Scotch-Irish   Society  of  America,  Annual  Proceedings,  with 

Addresses,  etc.    Cincinnati  and  Nashville,  1889-1901. 
South    Carolina    Historical    Society,    Collections.      5    vols. 

Charleston,  1857-1897. 
Virginia  Historical  Society,  Collections.    11  vols.    Richmond, 

1882-1892. 
Washington  and  Lee  University  Historical  Papers.     Edited  by 

William  McLaughlin,  W.  A.  Glasgow  and  Henry  Alexander 

White.    5  vols.    Baltimore,  1890-1895. 

LOCAL   HISTORIES. 

Ashe,  Samuel  A.,  History  of  North  Carolina.     Vol.  I.     Golds- 

boro,  1909. 
Brewer,  W.,  Alabama.    Montgomery,  1872. 
Campbell,  Charles,  History  of  Virginia.     Philadelphia,  18G0. 
Craig,  D.  I.,  Presbyterian  Church  in  North  Carolina.    Richmond, 

1908. 
Gayakre,  Charles,  History  of  Louisiana.    4  vols.    New  Orleans, 

1885. 
Gilmore,  James  Roberts,  The  Rear-Guard  of  the  Revolution. 

New  York,  1886. 
Hunter,  C.  L.,  Sketches  of  Western  North  Carolina.     Raleigh, 

1877. 
Jones,  Charles  Colcock,  The  History  of  Georgia.    2  vols.    Bos- 
ton, 1883. 
Lewis,  Virgil  A.,  History  of  West  Virginia.    Philadelphia,  1887. 
McCrady,  Edward,  History  of  South  Carolina.     4  vols.     New 

York,  1894-1902. 
Moore,  John  W.,  History  of  North  Carolina.    2  vols.     Raleigh, 

1880. 
Peyton,   John   Howe,   History   of  Augusta   County,    Virginia. 

Staunton,  1882. 
Phelan,  James,  History  of  Tennessee.    Boston,  1888. 
Ramsay,  David,  History  of  South  Carolina.    2  vols.    Charleston, 

1809. 


Principal  Sources  467 

Roosevelt,  Theodore,  The  Winnitig  of  the  West.    3  vols.    New 

York,  1SS9. 
Rumple,  Jethro,  A  History  of  Rowan  County,  North  Carolina. 

Salisbury,  1881. 
Salley,    Alexander    S.,    Jr.,    History   of    Orangeburg    County, 

South  Carolina.    Columbia,  1898. 
Tompkins,  D.  A.,  History  of  Mecklenburg  County,  North  Caro- 
lina.    2  vols.     Charlotte,  1903. 
Waddell,  Joseph  Addison,  Annals  of  Augusta  County,  Virginia. 

With  Supplement.     Richmond,  1888. 
Wheeler,  John  H.,  Historical  Sketches  of  North  Carolina.     2 

vols,   (iu  one).     Philadelphia,  1851. 
White,  Henry  Alexander,  The  Making  of  South  Carolina.  New 

York,  1906. 

MEMOIRS. 
Beasley,    Fr.,   A   Brief   Memoir   of  Samuel   Stanhope   Smith. 

Philadelphia,  1821. 
Dabney,  Robert  L.,  Memoir  of  Francis  S.  Sampson.    Richmond, 

1854. 
DuBosE,  Hampden  C,  Memoirs  of  John  Leighton  Wilson.    Rich- 
mond, 1895. 
Fleming,   William    S.,   Genealogical  Account  of   the  Frierson 

Family.     Columbia  (Tenn.),  1907. 
Gbasty,  John  S.,  Memoir  of  Samuel  B.  McPhecters.    Louisville, 

1871. 
Maxwell,  William,  A  Memoir  of  John  H.  Rice.    Philadelphia, 

1835. 
McElhenney,   John,   Recollections  of,  by  his  granddaughter, 

Rose  W,  Fry.     Richmond,  1893. 
McIlwaine,  Richard,  Recollections.    New  York,  1909. 
Waddel,  John  N.,  Memorials  of  Academic  Life:   An  Historical 

Sketch  of  the  Waddel  Family.    Richmond,  1891. 
Wardlaw,  Joseph  G.,  Genealogical  Account  of  the  Witherspoon 

Family.     Yorkville,  S.  C,  1910. 
WooDBOw,  James,  Memoir  of,  by  his  daughter.    Columbia,  1910. 

NEWSPAPERS. 
Central  Presbyterian.    Richmond,  Va. 
Christian  Observer.    Louisville,  Ky. 
Dispatch.     Richmond,  Va. 
News  and  Courier.    Charleston,  S.  C. 
North  Carolina  Presbyterian.    Wilmington,  N.  C. 
Picayune.    New  Orleans,  La. 
Presbyterian  of  the  South.    Richmond,  Va. 


468  Principal  Sources 

Southern  Presbyterian.    Columbia  and  Clinton,  S.  C. 
Southwestern  Presbyterian.     New  Orleans,  La. 
St.  Louis  Presbyterian.    St.  Louis,  Mo. 
The  State.    Columbia,  S.  C. 
Times.     Richmond,  Va. 
Times-Democrat.    New  Orleans,  La. 
Times-Dispatch.    Richmond,  Va. 

PERIODICALS. 

South  Carolina  Historical  and  Genealogical  Magazine.  Charles- 
ton, 1900-1911. 

Southern  Presbyterian  Quarterly.    Richmond,  Va.,  1887-1899. 

Southern  Literary  Messenger.    Richmond,  1834-1859. 

Southern  Presbyterian  Review.    Columbia,  1847-1885. 

Southern  Quarterly  Review.     Charleston,  1842-1856. 

Virginia  Magazine  of  History  and  Biography.  Richmond,  1893- 
1911. 

RECORDS    OF    CHURCH    COURTS. 
Alexander,  W.  A.,  A  Digest  of  the  Acts  of  the  General  Assembly 

of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States,  1861-1867. 

With  Historical  Notes.    Richmond,  1888. 
Baibd,  Samuel  J.,  A  Collection  of  the  Acts  of  the  Supreme  Ju- 

dicatoi-y  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.    Philadelphia,  1855. 
Moore,  William  iiJ.,  islew  Digest  of  the  Acts  of  the  Presbyterian 

Church.     Philadelphia,  18G1. 
,  The  Presbyterian  Digest.     A  Compend  of  the  Acts  of 

the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 

United  States  of  America.    Philadelphia,  1873. 

MINUTES. 

Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 

from  1789  until  1861.     Philadelphia. 
Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  (South).    Augusta,  Columbia 

and  Richmond,  1861-1911. 
Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  (North).    Philadelphia,  1861- 

1911. 
Minutes  of  Various  Presbyteries  and  Synods. 

SPECIAL   ACCOUNTS. 
Baird,  C.  W.,  History  of  the  Huguenot  Emigration,  to  America. 

2  vols.    1st  and  2nd  editions.    New  York,  1885. 
Baird,  H.  M.,  History  of  the  Rise  of  the  Huguenots  of  France. 

2  vols.    2nd  edition.    New  York,  1883. 


Principal  Sources  469 

Baird,  H.  M.,  The  lluyticnots  and  Henry  of  Navarre.  2  vols. 
New  York,  1880. 

Baird,  Samuel  J.,  History  of  the  New  School.  Philadelphia, 
18(58. 

Bernheim,  G.  D.,  German  Settlements  in  North  and  South  Caro- 
lina. 

BoARUMAN,  Henry  A.,  The  General  Assembly  of  18G6.  Phila- 
delphia, 18G7. 

Bbackett,  K.  N.,  The  Old  Stone  Church  {South  Carolina).  Co- 
lumbia, 1905. 

Brock,  R.  A.,  Huguenot  Emigration  to  Virginia.  Virginia  His- 
torical Collections,  vol.  V. 

Cobb,  T.  R.  R.,  Law  of  Negro  Slavery  in  the  Various  States. 
Philadelphia,  1850. 

Dabney,  Robert  L.,  Defense  of  Virginia.    New  York,  1807. 

Draper,  Lyman,  King's  Mountain  and  Its  Heroes.  Cincinnati, 
1887. 

EcKENRODE,  H.  J.,  Separation  of  Church  and  State  in  Virginia. 
Richmond,  1910. 

Gregg,  Alexander,  History  of  the  Old  Cheraws.  Columbia,  1807 
and  1905. 

Hanna,  Charles  A.,  The  Scotch-Irish;  or,  The  Scot  in  North 
Britain,  North  Ireland  and  North  America.  2  vols.  New 
York,  1902. 

Ingle,  Edward,  Southern  Side-Lights.    New  York,  1890. 

James,  C.  F.,  Documentary  History  of  the  Struggle  for  Religious 
Liberty  in  Virginia.    Richmond,  1900. 

Jones,  Charles  Colcock,  Religious  Instruction  of  the  Negroes 
in  the  United  States.    Savannah,  1842. 

Kibkland,  Thomas  J.,  and  R.  M.  Kennedy,  Historic  Camden. 
Columbia,  1905. 

Laws,  S.  S.,  Letter  to  the  Synod  of  Missouri.    New  York,  1873. 

Mallard,  R.  Q.,  Plantation  Life  Before  Emancipation.  Rich- 
mond, 1892. 

Maury,  R.  L.,  Huguenots  in  Virginia.     Richmond. 

McIlwaine,  H.  R.,  Struggle  of  Protestant  Dissenters  for  Re- 
ligious Toleration  in  Virginia.  J.  H.  U.  Studies,  12th  series. 
Baltimore. 

Wilson,  Samuel  R.,  Defense  of  the  Declaration  and  Testimony. 
Louisville,  1805. 


INDEX 


Abbeville,  92,  173 

Abingdon,  101,  102 

Accomac,  14,  15 

Adams,  John  Quincy,  276 

Adgor,    John    B.,    258,    293-307,    322, 

336,  456 
Adopting  Act,  21 
Aimwell,  81 
Alamance,  96 
Alexander,    Archibald,    38,    40,    135- 

137,  177,  181-192,  195,  213,  219,  229 
— ,  George,  221 
— ,  Henry  C,  455 
— ,  John  McKnitt,  77 
— ,  Joseph,  77,  246,  247 
— ,  Philip,  237 
— ,  Robert,  182 
— ,  William,  182,  183 
— ,  William  A.,  456 
Albemarle,  32 
Alison,  Hector,  81 
Allen,  Cary,  175,  176 
Allison,  Patrick,  232 
Amherst  College,  360,  361 
Anderson,  William,  14,  15 
Andrew.  John,  69 
Andrews,  Jedediah,  16,  19 
Annapolis,  12 
Antrim,  33 

Armstrong,  George  D.,  459 
Ashley  River,  24 
Associate  Reformed  Church,  330 
Augusta  Academy,  125-130,  182 
Augusta  Church   (Georgia),  251 
Augusta  County  (Virginia),  33,  34. 

39,  70.  117,  118,  124,  159 
Austin  College,  279 
Austin  Theological  Seminary,  458 
Avery,  A.  C,  268 
Axson,  I.  S.  K.,  250 

Baker  College,  279 

Baker,  Daniel,  273-279 

Balch,  Hezekiah,  99 

— ,  James,  99 

Baltimore,  290 

Baptists,  108.  169 

Barbacue  Church,  83,  84 

Barbadoes.  11,  13.  17 

Barnett,  E.  H.,  457,  458 

Barr,  J.  C,  284 

Barrett,  Charles,  19 

Barringer,  Rufus.  268 

Baxter,  John,  155 

— ,  George  Addison,  221-231.  233,  236, 

281,  287,  409.  428,  429,  447 
Bear,  J.  E.,  457 
Beattie,   Francis  R.,  258,  456 
Beaufort.  86,  89 
Bedford,  58,  68 
Belfast,  79 

Bethel  Church    (S.  C),  92 
—  Church  (Virginia),  25,  39,  66,  167, 

168 
Bethesda  Church    (S.  C),  92 
Berkeley,   Sir  William,  12 


Bethany  Church,  172 
Beverley's  Manor,  33 
Bill  of  Rights,  111,  165 

—  for  Religious  Freedom,  165-170 
Bingham  School,  204 

— ,  William,  204 

Blackburn.  Gideon,  209,  239,  240 

Klain,  Daniel.  2S1 

Blair,  John,  38-40 

— ,  John   D.,  39,  215,  238 

— ,  Samuel,  44 

Black  River,  79,  80,  81,  154,  156 

Blackstock,   159 

Bland,   Richard,  105,  106 

Blue  Ridge,  30,  32,  38,  62,  68,  74 

Bocock,  John  H.,  230,  231,  322 

Boston,  19,  24,  30 

Botetourt  County,  38,  118 

Bothwell  Bridge,  11 

Boyle,  John,  457 

Braddock,  General,  35.  49,  67,  74 

Brackett,  G.  R..  266,  458,  459 

Brank.  R.  G.,  458 

Bratton,  William,  144,  147 

Breckinridge,    John,    208,    229,    232, 

238 
— ,  Robert  J.,  229,  238,  315 
— ,  William  L.,  210,  238 
Brewington,  81 

Briery  Church,  48,  178.  179,  287 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society, 

436 
Broad  River,  70,  91,  159 
Brown,  John,  38-40,  66,  103,  114,  130, 

208 
— ,  Samuel,  235,  236 
— ,  William,  226,  429,  442 
Brownsville,  331 
Bryson,  J.  H.,  458 
Buffalo  Creek    (Virginia),  41 

—  Settlement  (North  Carolina),  69 
Buist,  George,  249 

Bullock,  J.  J.,  408 
Bullock's  Creek  (S.  C),  78 
Burden,  Benjamin,  38 

Cainhoy.  25 

Caldwell.  David,  95-99,  161,  162,  204, 

240,  241 
— ,  James,  166 
— ,  John,  41,  92 
— ,  Joseph,  203-205 
— ,  Samuel  C.  204,  242,  243 

—  Institute.  205 
Caledonia.  Presbytery  of,  25 
Calhoun,  John  Caldwell,  41,  92,  173, 

199 
— .  Patrick,  92,  173,  199 

—  Settlement,  92,  199,  200 
Carrick,  Samuel,  239 
Caruthers,  Ell  W.,  98 
Camden,  148 

Camm.   John.  105,  106 
Cambridge  University,  12 
Campbell,  Arthur,  102 
— ,  David.  102 
— ,  James,  79-85 


472 


Index 


Campbell,  Samuel,  127 

— ,  William,   102,   114,    151,   152,    154, 

163,  163 
— ,  William  A.,  459 
Cape  Pear  River,  71,  79,  81,  82,  85 
Cardrass,  Lord,  22 
Carolinas,  22,  65 
Carter,  Landon,  105,  106 
Catawba  River,  70,  74,  91 
Catechism,  Westminster,  21,  31,  55, 

56 
Cedar  Creek,  65 
Center  College,  209,  210,  240,  420 

—  Church,  76 

Central     University      (Kentucky), 

420,  456 
Chamberlain,  Jeremiah,  422 
— ,  -Hunt  Academy,  422 
Chambers,  Maxwell,  271 
Chapel  Hill,  203 
Chapman,  R.  H.,  322 
Charlotte,  76,  78,  92,  147,  150,  392 

—  County,  41,  42 
Charleston,  26,  254 

—  Union  Presbytery,  262 
Charles  Town,  23,  24,  25,  79,  91,  145 
Chester   30 

Christian,  William,  102,  114,  115,  146 
Circular  Church,  25 
Clio's  Nursery,  172 
Clyde  River,  22 
Cobb,  Howell,  435 

—  Thomas  R.  R.,  336,  435,  446,  452, 
453 

Columbia     Theological     Seminary, 

253-260,  291,  296.  300,  301,  316,  322, 

336,  363,  370,  456 
Confederate  States,  323,  324 
Confession  of  Faith,  Westminster, 

17,  21.  31 
Congregational   Church,  20,  21,  24, 

25 
Continental  Congress,  116.  123 
Convention,  Virginia,  118-120,  122 
Cook's  Creek  Church,  221 
Cooper  River,  23 
— ,  Thomas,  216 
Cornbury,  Governor,  16-19 
Covenanters,  29 
Cowpens,  158-164 

Craig,  John,  32-35,  66,  75,  113,  114 
— ,  J.  N.,  406,  456,  457 
Craighead,  Alexander,  52,  73-78,  91, 

97 
Creswell,  James,  99 
Cross  Creek.  81,  82,  84,  122 
Cub  Creek  Church,  41,  42,  214 
Culloden,  84 
Cumberland  Presbyterian   Church, 

211 
Cumming,  Charles,  100-103,  130,  146, 

239 

Dabney,  Charles  William,  382 
— ,  John,  457 

— ,  Robert  L..  375,  382-393,  409,  458 
Dale,  Sir  Thomas,  12 
Dana,  W.  C.  262 
Dan  River,  68,  71,  74 
Darien,  24.  87 

Davie.  William  R.,  92,  148,  149,  150, 
154,  203,  205 


Davidson,  William  L.,  148,  160,  161. 

267 
—  College,  267-272,  392,  413,  425,  426, 

450 
Davies,  Samuel,  43,  44-59,  90,  95,  104- 

107 
Declaration  and  Testimony,  351-357, 

418 
Delaware  River,  30 
Denton,  Richard,  13 
Dickson,  Hugh,  246 
— ,  J.   H..  322 
Doak,   Samuel,  40,  100-103,  142,  151. 

239 
Donegal,  9,  11,  32 
Dorchester.  24,  87,  360 
Doughty,  Francis,  13 
Drummond.  Thomas,  11 
Dublin   University,  39 
Dubose,  Hampden  C.  457 
Dunlap,  David  E.,  248 
Dunlop,   William,  22,  33 
Dunwody,  J.  B.,  334 
Dutch  Reformed  Church,  12,  13,  16. 

36 

Ebbing  Spring  Church,  100-102 

Edinburgh  University,  33 

Edisto,  25 

Educational  Society,  Georgia,  335 

Edwards,  Jonathan,  36 

Elizabeth  River,  14 

Bno,  69 

Enniskillen,  11 

Episcopal  Church,  15,  22,  24,  28 

Ervin,  John,  155 

Erwin,  Benjamin,  221,  233 

Established  Cliurch,  12,  15,  46,  105 

Fagg's  Manor,  44 

Fairfield,  40 

Fairforest  Church,  92,  148 

Falling  Water  Church,  414 

Farmville,  52 

Farris,  R.  P.,  458 

Fayetteville.  81.  84.  122 

Ferguson.  Major.  150,  151 

Fincastle,  Committee  of,  116,  117 

Pinley,  Samuel,  59 

— ,  W.  P..  323 

Pishdam  Ford,  159 

Fishing  Creek  Church,  92 

Fitzgerald.  J.  H.,  238 

Fleming,  William.  114,  115,  224 

Flinn,  Andrew,  245,  246,  250 

— ,  J.  William,  264 

Foote.  William  H..  143,  195,  212,  237, 

288.  289,  322,  415 
Fork  Church.  103 
Forrest.  John,  249,  261-266 
Forward.  W.  A.,  322 
Frankfort,  415 
Eraser,  Donald,  458 
Fredericksburg.  189 
Freedom.   Religious,  104-112,  165-170 
Frelinghuysen.  .Jacob,  36 
French  Presbyterians,  23,  24 

Gelston,  Samuel,  33 
General    Assembly,    Presbyterian, 
37,  179 


Index 


473 


Georgia,  Presbyterian  Churclics  in. 

250-252 
—  Ediieational  Society,  335 
German  Uoformed  Church,  32 
Giles,  Hu«h,  155 
Gillespie,  James,  309 
Girardeau,  John  U,  258,  293-307,  45G 
Glasgow.  University  of,  10,  11,  23, 

30,  .33,  86 
Gloucester,  13 

Gooch,  Governor,  41,  43,  44,  109 
(roose  Creek.  23 
(rordon,  James,  60,  61 
Gordonsville,  62 
Gouge,  William,  12 
Goulding,  Francis  U..  253,  254 
— .  Thomas,  253,  260 
(Jourlay.  James,  89 
(Jraham,   George,  150 
— .  Joseph,  148-150,  161.  268 
— .  Samuel  b.,  383,  428 
— .  William.  124-140,  167.  168,  177-179. 

182-186.  194,  212,  216,  217,  222,  233, 

■'38 
(Jranville  ITall,  204 
Great  Awakening,  The,  36 
Greene.  Nathauael,  158-163 
Greenbrier  Uiver,  280-283 
(ireenlee,   Samuel,  40 
Greensboro.  96,  97 
(Jreenville  (Church.  70.  172 
(Jrigsby.  Benjamin.  188,  282 
(irinnan,   Daniel,  237 
(Guilford,  61,  99.  158-164 

Hall,  James,  149,  160,  171,  200,  204. 

287 
— ,  J.  G..  457 
— .  Robert,  172 
— ,  W.  T.,  258,  333 
Hamiltoii,  Andrew.  99 
Hampden-Sidnev    t^oUege.    40.    135. 

143,  1G9,  181.  188,  193.  195.  200.  213, 

216,  228,  234.  426,  427 
Hampton,  John,  15-18 
Hanging  Rock,  148 
Hanover  County.   42,  44 
Hanover  Presbyterv.  52,  60.  74.  75, 

95,   100.  124-143.  165.   16S 
Harding,  E.  H.,  412 
Harrison.  Uabney  Carr.  4:>3 
— ,  Gessner,  276 
— .  Peyton.  322 
Harvard  College.  16 
Hawflelds,  69 
Henry,  Patrick,  56,  104-lOS,  111,  118- 

120,  168,  169 
— .  Rol)ert,  48.  52,  .59,  68 
Hico  River,  68 
Highlands  of  Scotland,  71 
Highlanders,  82.  84,  85 
}Iiil.  Daniel  H.,  269,  435,  446,  449-452 
— .  Matthew,  13 
— ,  William   (Colonel).  450 
— .  William.  152,  176,  178,  233,  275 
Hillsboro.  96 

Hodge.  Charles.  318.  320.  403 
Hoge,  James.  193.  1% 
— .  John,  65.  66,  75 
— ,  ,Tohn  Blair.  196-198 
— ,  Moses,  187,  193-198,  217,  218,  232. 
426 


Hoge,    Moscc   Drurv,    190,    271,    287, 

"290,  292,  426-445 
— ,  Samuel  Davies,  426 
— ,  William,  32,  33,  65,  193 
—    William  J.,  426,  438,  439 
Holston  River,  100 
Hopewell  Church.  76,  173 
Horry,  Hugh,  155 
— ,  Petei-,  1.55 

Houston.  Samuel.  40,  130.  2.36 
Howe,  George,  253-260,  336 
Huck  s  Defeat,  1 17 
Huguenot  Church.  18,  2.3,  24.  249 
Huguenots,  The,  22,  23,  26,  154 
Hunter,   Humphrey,  174 

Independent    Church    (Savannah), 

87.  250,  275,  293 
Independents,  13,  20,  21 
Indiantown  Church,  81,  154 
Ireland.   9,   10,   16,   21.   22,   28-30,   73, 

75.  79 
Irwin,  William,  1.30 

Jacobs,  W.  P.,  336 

Jackson,  Andrew,  243,  276 

— ,  Stonewall,  269,  387,  438,  441.  446- 

450 
Jamaica  (Long  Island),  13 
James  I,  28 
.Tames  II,  29 

James.  John,  154-156,  174,  394 
— .  Robert  W..  397 
— ,  William,  154 

—  Island,  25,  87 

—  River.  12,  26 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  107,  123.  166 

John's  Island,  25 

Johnson,  Angus,  458 

— ,  Josephiis,  458 

Johnston,  Job,  319,  322 

Jones,   Charles  C,  258.  293-307.  322. 

324,  325 
Junkin.  George,  446,  447,  450 
— ,  W.  M.,  457 

Keith,  George,  12 
Kemp,  James,  20 
Kentucky,  Presbyterian  Church  in. 

30,  59,  206-211,  351-358,  415-420 
Kentucky,     Theological     Seminary 

of,  456 
Ker,  David,  203 
King,   Samuel  A..  331 
King's  Mountain,  144-153,  1.56 
Kingstree,  79.  154,  156 

I.acey,  Edward,  147,  152 

I^cv.  Beverlev  T.,  449 

— ,  Drurv   (I),  177.  188,  270,  426 

— ,  Drurv  (II),  270,  271.  322,  426,  447 

— ,  Matthew  L.,  284 

— .  William  S..  412 

Laggan,   Presbytery  of,  10,  11.  15 

La  Grange  College,  423,  424 

Lane,  Edward,  457 

I^apsley,  Samuel,  457 

Larned.  Sylvester,  252,  364 

Latimer.  J.  P..  455 

League  and  Covenant.  329 

Leith,  24 

L<'land,  A.  W.,  229,  249,  322,  336 

l.evburn,  John,  226-228,  404 


474 


Index 


r^xington,  131,  181,  192 
Lewis,  Andrew,  113-115.  117,  25<1 
— .  John,  32,  33,  113,  281 
LowisburiG:,  114,  2S0.  282,  285,  286 

—  Academy,  283-287 
Liberty  County,  24 

—  Hall   Academy.   130-139.   182.   1S3. 

191.  194.  216,  217,  218,  222,  234 

Volunteers,  340 

London,  15 

Londonderry,  10,  11,  29 
Long,  Isaac  J.,  458 

—  Cane  Creeli,  199 

—  Island,  13,  16,  20,  21 
Ix)rd.  Joseph,  241 
Lough,   Swilly,  9.  10 
Jjouisville.  354,  415-420 
Louis  XIV.  23 
Luckett,  S.  M..  279 
Lyle.  James,  131 

— ,  John,  185 

Lyon,  J.  A.,  322,  333,  458 

Madison,  James,  117,  165.  169 
Makcmie.  Francis.  9-21,  22 
Mallard,  R.  Q.,  302,  333,  458 
Manakin  Town.  26 
Marion,  Francis,  154-157 
Markham.  Thomas  R.,  333,  458 
Maryland,  Presbyterians  in,  11-21 
Massachusetts,  13.  16,  24 
McAden,  Hugh,  65-72,  99 
McCaule,  Thomas  H..  174 
McClure.  John,  144 
McCorkip,   Samuel  E..  161,  203,  204. 

241 
McCottrv.  William.  156 
McDonald,  Allan,  84 
— ,  Donald,  122 
— ,  Flora,  84.  85 
McDowell,  Ephraim,  38 
— ,  James,  Governor,  235 
— ,  Samuel,  117,  118,  162,  208 
McEIhennv.  James.  280,  281 
— ,  John,  247,  280-285,  286 
McGill,  Daniel,  32 
McGreadv.  James,  210,  211 
McGufifey.  W.  H.,  340 
McKee.  David,  81 
McKnight.  W.,  251 
McLeod,  John,  S3,  84 
McNish.  George.  15 
McPhail.  George  W.,  272 
McWhorter,  Aiexandei'.  147 
Mecklenburg.  69,  73-78,  97 
— ,  Committee  of,  120-122 
Mesopotamia,  74 

Midway  Church.  87.  88,  253,  275,  293 
Miller,  Arnold  W.,  459 
Missions,  Foreign,  406 
— ,  Home,  406 
Mitchell.  James,  177,  236 
Montgomery  County,  38 
Montrose  Academy",  421,  't22 
Moore,  Mary,  235 
— .  Thomas  V.,  341.  429,  431,  439 
Moore's  Creek  Bridge.  122.  145 
Morgan.  Daniel,  159,  160 
Morrison,  Robert  Hall,  267-272,  322. 

447,  451 
Mount  Zion  Church,  395,  397,  408 

College,  174 

Murkland,  W.  U.,  408,  459 


Musgrove's  Mill,  151 

Nail,  James  II.,  333,  45.8 
Nansemond  County,  12 
Nash.  Legrand,  178 
Nassau  Hall,  65 
Natchez,  251 

Nazareth  Church,  92,  247 
Neville,  William  G.,  456 
Newberu,  427 
New  Brunswick,  36 

—  Castle    Presbytery  of,  21,  65 

—  England,  16 

—  Hampshire,  30 

—  Jersey,  20,  21 

—  Monmouth  Cburch,  38 

—  Orleans,  252.  364-366,  371 

—  Providence  Church,  38,  103,  235 
Newry,  59 

New  School.   229,  230,  288,  330,   376, 
389 

—  Side,  36.  37,  53,  66,  73 
New  York,  13,  16,  17,  20,  21 
City,  13,  16,  18 

,  Synod  of,  37,  38 

Norfolk,  14 
Northampton,  36 

Northern    Assembly,    349,    350,    354. 
355.  375.  376 

—  Neck.  60,  61 
Nottingham,  59 

Oaltland  College,  422 
Oglethorpe  University.  251,  335 
Old  School,  229,  230,  2S8,  289,  389 
Old  Side,  36.  37.  53 
Onancock,  14,  15 
Opecquon  Church,  33,  65,  66 

—  Creek.  32,  75 
Orange  Presbytery,  173 
Otts,  J.  M.  P.,  334,  458 

Palmer.  B.  M..   Sr..  359 

— ,  Benjamin  Morgan.  258,  317,  322. 

323,   333,   359-381.   458 
— .  Edward,   359-362 
— ,  Job,  359 
— ,  William,  359 

Panama.  24.  25 

Parsons'  Cause.  The.  104-107 

Pattillo.   Henry,  95-99,  177 

Peaks  of  Otter,  58 

Peck,  Thomas  E.,  454,  455 

Pee  Dee  River.  79,  81 

Pennsylvania,  Presbyterians  in.  20, 

30,  32 
Perrin,  T.  C,  322 
Philadelphia,  16.  19.  21.  30 
— .  Presbytei-y  of,  16.  20,  21 
— ,  Synod  of,  21,  37,  41 
Phillips.  Charles,  459 
Pickens,   Andrew,   70,  159,   160.   164, 

172.  248 
Plan  of  Union,  228.  229 
Plumer.    William    S..    225.    226.    229, 

258.  283,  286-292,  337,  429,  442,  456 
Pocomoke,  14.  15 
Point   Pleasant,   Battle  of.   113-115, 

282 
Polk,  James  K.,  268 
Pons,  23 
Poplar  Tent  Church.  76 


Index 


473 


I'ort  Gibson,  251 

—  Royal,  22,  87 
Potomac,  32 

—  Kiver.  32,  65 
Pratt,  Jolin  W..  45S 
Presbyterian  Alliance,  419,  442,  443 
Presbyterian     College     of     South 

Carolina,  456 
Presbytery.  First  in  America,  16 
Preston.  Thomas  L.,  459 
I'ricp.  Robert  A.,  456 
Prince  Edward  Academy,  125.   141- 

143 
Prince  Edward  County.  41,  42 
Princeton  College,  39,  65,  92,  140-143 
Princeton    Theological     Seminary, 

3S,  181,  189,  218,  287,  293,  299 
Prioleau,  Elias,  23,  24 
Providence  Church,  76 
Prvor,  Theodorick.  322 
Puritans.  12.  21,  24 
Purity  Church,  84 

Queen's  Museum,  78,  92 

Rae.  .lohn,  81 

Raleigh,  203,  234 

Ramsay,  J.  B.,  322 

Ramseur's  Mill,  147 

Randolph.  Peyton.  46 

Rankin.  D.  C,  457 

Rathmelton.  9.  10.  11 

Red  House  Church.  71 

Reese,  Thomas.  174 

Rehoboth,  14.  19 

Reid,  R.  H.,  336 

Religious  Freedom.  165-170 

Religious    Instruction   of   Negi'oes. 

295.  305-307 
Review,      Southern     Presbyterian, 

363 
Revivals  of  Religion,  36.  171-180 
Revolution,  American,  104-180 
Rhea,  .Joseph,  102 
Rice.  David,  58-64,  110,  166,  206,  20S. 

212.  238 
— .  John  Holt.  55.  212-220.  228 
Richardson,   William,  75,   86,   90-93. 

148.   205 
de    Richebours:.    Claude    Philippe. 

26.  2( 
Richmond.  26,   45.  215.  219 
Roan.   .John.   41-43 
Roanoke  Countv,  38 
Robinson.  John.  204 
— ,  Stuart,  230,  285,  292,  361.  414-420, 

442 
— .  William,  41-43 
Rockbridge  County,  3S.  103 
Rocky  River  Church,  69,  75 
Rodgers,   John,  45 
Ruffner,    Henry,    126.    130,    283.    409. 

447 
— .  William  H..  225 
Rumple,   Jethro,   459 

Salem  Church   (S.  C),  86.  17?, 

—  Church    (Tenn.).  103 

—  Church    (Virginia).  285 
Sampson.  F.   S..  3.83.  428 
Santee  River,  23,  27.  79 
Science  Hall.  204 

Scotch  Church  of  Charleston,  26 


Scotch-Irish,  The,  10.  13.  16,  30 

—  Ijcague  and  Covenant,  The,  29 
Scotland.  9,  10,  11,  16.  22,  24,  28-31 
— ,  Church  of,  26 

Scots,  The.  9,  13,  16.  21.  28-31,  79 
Seven    Churches    of    Mecklenburg, 

73-78 
Severn  River,  12 
Shearer,  John  B.,  425 
Shelby.  Isaac.  150,  151 
Shenandoah  River,  33 

—  Valley.  32 

Shepherdstown,  32,  187,  2.32 
Simpson.  Archibald.  86-89,  90.  93 
— .  John.  144,  146,  147,  149,  173,  174 
Sinking  Spring  Church,  100-112 
Slavery.  348.  .367.  368.  400-402 
Smith,  B.  M..  385,  455 

— ,  Jacob  lienrv,  384,  409-413,  460 

— ,  John  Blair,  103.  140-143.  163,  167, 
169,  175-178 

— .  Samuel  M.,  460.  461 

— ,  Samuel  S.,  40,  124,  140-143.  166, 
193    233 

Smvth,  "Thomas.   250.   261-266 

Snow  Hill  Church.  13 

Snow  Hill,  Presbytery  of,  21 

South  Carolina.  Presbyterians  in, 
14 

College.  .309.  314.  316 

Southern  Assembly.  322-329,  370.  376, 
392,  423,  425.  456 

Soiithwestem  Presbyterian  Uni- 
versity. 425.  456 

Sparrow,  Patrick  J.,  267 

Spartanburg,  70,  148 

Speece,  Conrad.  233.  234 

Spring  Resolution.  319.  320.  368 

Stamp  Act.  107 

Staunton.  32,  33,  66 

Steele  Creek  Church,  76 

Stephenson    James  W..  174 

Stevens.   William.  11 

Stillman,  C.  A..  334,  456 

—  Institute.  456 
Stewart,  Alexander.  130 
Stewart  College.  425 
Stobo.  Archibald.  25.  26 
Stone  Church,  173,  280-284 
Stoney  Creek  Church,  86-88 
Sugar  Creek   Church,  69.   75-77.  91, 

243,   267 
Summer ville.  24 
Sumter.  Thomas.  144.  147.  154 
Sunburv  Academy.  293 
Swillv.'lvough.  9,  10 
Synods,  179,  ISO 

Tadlock.  J.  D..  258,  456 

Talmage.  S.  K.,  251,  335 

Tar  River.  69 

Tarleton.  Banastre,  156.  160 

Tate.  William,  40 

Taylor,   Nathaniel,  16 

Teinent,  Gilbert,  36 

— .  William.  36 

Tennessee.  30 

Texas.     Presbyterian     Cburch     in, 

242.    252 
Thornwell.  .Tames  II..  249,  258,  308- 

329,  336,  362,  454 
Thyatira  Cburch,  71 


476 


Index 


Timber  Ridge,  38-40,  66,  67,  126,  129, 

130    182 
Tinkling  Spring  Cliurcli,  34,  61,  62, 

3S4 
Todd,  John,  52,  58,  59,  104,  108,  141, 

236 
Toleration  Act,  15,  17,  18 
Traill,  John.  11 
— ,  William,  11 
Transylvania  Seminary,   209 

—  University,  209 
Trent  River,  27 
Triple  Forks,  33 
Turner,  James,  236 
Tusculum  College,  103 
Twopenny  Act,  105-107 
Tyger  River,  70,  159 
T^Tona,  11 

Ulster,  9,  11,  15,  28-30,  32,  38,  41 
Union,  Fort,  114 

—  Theological    Seminary,    212-220, 
230,  231,  413.  428 

United  Synod,  330 

University  of  Georgia,  201,  3G2,  421 

—  Glasgow.  S6 

—  Mississippi,  422-425 

—  North  Carolina.  203-205 

—  Virginia.  340.  341 

Valley  of  Virginia,  32,  33,  35.  38,  65, 

66 
Vaughan,  C.  R.,  384.  455 
Virginia,  11.  12,  13.  18,  32 

—  Bible  Society,  215 
— ,  Synod  of,  46 

Waddel,  John  N.,  322,  421-425,  456 
— ,  Moses,  199-202,  244,  421 
Waddell.  James,  55,  58-64.  100.  104. 

130,  162,  167 
\v'allace,  Caleb,  110,  133,  141.  166.  20S 
Wallis,  James.  204 
Walterboro,  25,  360 
Wando  River,  25 

Washington  Academy,  222,  234,  236 
— ,  George,  49,  50,   66,  113,  137.  139, 

223    224 
— ,  William,  159,  160,  163 

—  College  in  Tennessee,  103.  240 
in   Virginia,  126,  137,  139,  191, 

222-230,  287,  340,  446-450 

—  and  L<»e  University,  139 


Watchman  of  the  South,  289 
Waxhaws,  70,  90-94,  95,  146,  148.  159, 

160,  243.  280.  312 
Wellford,  Rol)ert,  237 
Welch,  Thomas  R.,  332,  458 
AVestminster  Church,  254,  262 

—  College,  354 
White,  Adam.  11 
— ,  William,  11 

— ,  William  S.,  448 

Whitaker,  Alexander,  12 

— ,  William,  12 

Whitelield,    George,   36.    42,    73,    84, 

186 
White  Meeting  House,  25 
William  III,  17,  20,  26,  29,  79 
Williams,  James,  150-152 
Williamsburg,  44,  120,  122 

—  Township,  79.  80,  154-156 
Williamson's  Plantation,  147 
Willison,  John,  80 

Wilson,  Hugh,  242,  252,  278,  331 

— ,  John.  16 

— .  John  Leighton,  256,  322,  324,  394- 

408 
— ,  John  Makemie,  204.  243-345,  268 
— ,  John  S.,  322,  334,  458 
— .  J.  R..  258.  322,  456 
— ,  Lewis  F..  241,  242 
— ,  Robert.  65,  66 
— ,  Samuel  B.,  177,  179,  235,  237,  247, 

281,  428 
— .  William.  40.  131.  233 
Willington   Academy,   200-202.   421 
Wilmington.    11.   164 
Wilton,  25,  300.  301 
Winchester.  65,  66 
Windy  Cove  Church,  74 
Winnsboro,  174,  395 
AVirt,  AVilliam,  62-64 
Witherspoon,    David,   142 
— ,  Gavin,  80,  155 
— ,  John,  79,  &5,  155,  15G 
— ,  John  (Princeton),  HI,  127 
— ,  John,  Rev,,  26 
— ,  Robert,  80,  155 
Wright,  John.  52,  68 
AA'^odrow,  Robert,  23 
Woodrow,   James,  258,  336,  337,   456 

Yadkin  River,  69,  74 

Zion  Church,  175 


Princeton  Theoloqical  Semi"ar7  Libraries 


1    1012  01245  7257 


